Skip to main content

Acupuncture May Alleviate Nocturia in Men Treated for Prostate Cancer

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on June 4, 2025.

via HealthDay

TUESDAY, June 3, 2025 -- Acupuncture may reduce nocturia in patients treated for prostate cancer, according to a research letter published online May 29 in JAMA Oncology.

Kevin T. Liou, M.D., from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial to evaluate acupuncture (10 weekly standardized treatments) relative to usual care for nocturia in prostate cancer survivors. The analysis included 60 participants with treated prostate cancer who reported two or more nocturia episodes every night for the past month.

The researchers found that acupuncture (40 participants) produced greater reduction in nocturia episodes than the waiting-list control (20 participants) by the end of treatment at week 10 (between-group difference, −1.13), which persisted up to one month posttreatment (difference, −0.85). Acupuncture was also associated with greater reduction in International Prostate Symptom Score total scores versus control at week 10 (difference, −3.76), which persisted until week 14 (difference, −3.39). Among those assigned to acupuncture, the most common adverse events were dizziness (mild, 2) and insomnia (mild, 2), with no cases reported in the control group.

"The promising effects of acupuncture on nocturia warrant further investigation in larger trials to address a substantial unmet need among survivors of prostate cancer," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Fewer Opioids Being Prescribed for Low Back Pain in the Emergency Department

FRIDAY, July 18, 2025 -- From 2016 to 2022, 5.3 percent of all U.S. emergency department visits were related to low back pain, with opioid administration and prescription...

ENDO: AI Model Integrated Into Retina Tracker IDs Diabetic Retinopathy

FRIDAY, July 18, 2025 -- An artificial intelligence (AI) model integrated into a retina tracker for diabetic retinopathy can achieve high accuracy while being resource-efficient...

Dogs Can Differentiate Between People With Parkinson Disease, Controls

FRIDAY, July 18, 2025 -- Dogs can differentiate between dry skin swab samples from people with Parkinson disease (PwP) and controls, according to a study published online July 14...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.