6/11/2004 5:00 AM
By: Ivanhoe Broadcast News

http://www.news8austin.com/content/living/health_beat/?
ArID=109699&SecID=169

When prostate cancer becomes advanced, treatment usually involves
hormone therapy, which can reduce the testosterone that feeds the
prostate and its tumors.

Researchers say about 22,000 men with prostate cancer receive
hormone therapy each year. Hormone therapy can reduce symptoms and
prevent the cancer from growing. According to the American
Urological Association, hormone therapy causes prostate cancer to
shrink in about 85 percent to 90 percent of advanced prostate cancer
patients.

Although it has a high success rate, hormone therapy does not "cure"
prostate cancer. In fact, the effects only last between 24 and 36
months.

One common side effect of hormone therapy is hot flashes.
Researchers say about 80 percent of men who receive hormone therapy
experience hot flashes. For many, the hot flashes are a source of
irritability, fatigue and insomnia. Current drug therapies only
offer partial relief from the hot flashes, and many have adverse
side effects.

Researchers from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland are
conducting a study to determine if acupuncture can help prostate
cancer patients who suffer from hot flashes. It is the first study
in the United States to test this alternative treatment on this
group of patients.

A pilot study conducted in Sweden examined seven men who were
treated with acupuncture for hot flashes caused by hormone therapy.
Results from that study show patients experienced a 50 percent to 70
percent reduction in the frequency and intensity of hot flashes.

The current study being conducted at OHSU will enroll a total of 25
patients with prostate cancer who experience significant hot
flashes. The men receive 14 treatments of acupuncture over 10 weeks -
- twice weekly for four weeks, then once weekly for six additional
weeks. Each treatment lasts about 30 minutes. Patients also keep
track of their hot flashes in a daily diary. So far, the results
have been encouraging.

"So far, the first three out of three men had significant reductions
in hot flashes after four weeks of acupuncture, but these are very
preliminary results," Dr. Tomasz M. Beer from OHSU said.

Researchers believe acupuncture works by increasing levels of
serotonin and its metabolites throughout the body.

"Preliminary findings suggest that acupuncture can increase
serotonin levels. We'd like to determine if the extent to which
acupuncture provides relief for these men is associated with changes
in their serotonin levels," Beer said.

Doctors say the risks and side effects of acupuncture are minimal
but do include infection and redness where the needles are inserted.