Randomized Trial to Assess the Impact of Venlafaxine and Soy Protein on Hot Flashes and Quality of Life in Men With Prostate Cancer

Purpose Hot flashes occur in approximately 80% of androgen-deprived men. Few intervention studies have been conducted to relieve hot flashes in men. Patients and Methods Eligible androgen-deprived men were randomly assigned to one of four daily regimens (2 × 2 factorial design) for 12 weeks: milk protein powder and placebo pill, venlafaxine and milk protein powder, soy protein powder and placebo pill, or venlafaxine and soy protein powder. The primary end point was hot flash symptom severity score (HFSSS), defined as number of hot flashes times severity. The secondary end point was quality of life (QoL), assessed by using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate. Results In all, 120 men age 46 to 91 years participated. Most were white (78%) and overweight or obese (83%). Toxicity was minimal. Neither venlafaxine nor soy protein alone or in combination had a significant effect on HFSSS. Soy protein, but not venlafaxine, improved measures of QoL. Conclusion In androgen-deprived men, neither venlafaxine nor soy proved effective in reducing hot flashes. Interventions that appear effective for decreasing hot flashes in women may not always turn out to be effective in men.

Download Full-text

Faculty Opinions recommendation of Randomized trial to assess the impact of venlafaxine and soy protein on hot flashes and quality of life in men with prostate cancer.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.718128613.793488664 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Thomas Flaig

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Prostate Cancer ◽

Randomized Trial ◽

Soy Protein ◽

Hot Flashes ◽

The Impact

Download Full-text

Acupuncture for hot flashes for prostate cancer patients

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2009.27.15_suppl.e16125 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 27 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e16125-e16125

Author(s):

M. Hayes ◽

C. Reeder ◽

T. M. Beer

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Prostate Cancer ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Short Form ◽

Treatment Plan ◽

Hot Flashes ◽

Common Adverse Effect ◽

Hot Flash ◽

Related Quality

e16125 Background: Hot flashes are a common adverse effect of androgen suppression therapy (AST) for prostate cancer. We sought to determine the effect of acupuncture on hot flash frequency and intensity, quality of life, sleep quality, and biomarkers. Methods: Men on AST who had a hot flash score (HFS) (J Clin Oncol. 2001;19:4280–4290) > 4 were treated with acupuncture with electro-stimulation twice weekly for 4 weeks and once per week for an additional 6 weeks. The treatment plan included the following points: bilateral gallbladder 34, bladder 15, 23, and 32 and unilateral governing vessel 20, heart 7, pericardium 6, liver 2, and spleen 6. Continuous low intensity electro-stimulation at 2 Hz was used to connect bladder 23 inferiorly to bladder 32. Needles were retained for 30 minutes with manual stimulation at 10-minute intervals. The primary endpoint was a 50% reduction in the HFS after 4 weeks of therapy. Hot Flash Related Daily Interference Scale (HFRDIS) (J Pain Symptom Manage. 2001;22:979–989), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (Psychiatry Res. 1989;28:193–213), Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36) (Med Care. 1992;30:473–483), blood serotonin, plasma CGRP, and urinary 5-HIAA were also examined. Results: 22 men were enrolled between September 2003 and April 2007 and were eligible and evaluable. After 4 weeks of therapy, 9 of 22 patients (41%, 95%CI 21 to 64%) had > 50% reduction in hot flashes. 12 of 22 patients (55%, 95%CI 32 to 76%) met this response definition after 7 weeks of treatment. No patients had a significant increase in the HFS on therapy. Hot flash related quality of life, measured by HFDIS, improved in all patients and sleep quality, measured by PSQI, improved in hot flash responders. Hot flash related biomarkers including serotonin, 5-HIAA, and CGRP were examined before and after treatment. Conclusions: Multiple placebo-controlled trials have demonstrated that 25% of patients respond to placebo treatment for hot flashes. 41% of patients responded by week 4 and 55% by week 7 in this pilot study providing evidence of a potentially meaningful benefit with acupuncture therapy. Hot flash-related quality of life was also significantly improved with acupuncture treatment. Further studies of acupuncture for hot flashes in men undergoing hormonal treatment for prostate cancer are warranted. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Download Full-text

Acupuncture As an Integrative Approach for the Treatment of Hot Flashes in Women With Breast Cancer: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial (AcCliMaT)

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2015.63.2893 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (15) ◽

pp. 1795-1802 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Grazia Lesi ◽

Giorgia Razzini ◽

Muriel Assunta Musti ◽

Elisa Stivanello ◽

Chiara Petrucci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Hot Flashes ◽

Self Care ◽

Climacteric Symptoms ◽

Hot Flash ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

End Of Treatment

Purpose To determine the effectiveness of acupuncture for the management of hot flashes in women with breast cancer. Patients and Methods We conducted a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial comparing acupuncture plus enhanced self-care versus enhanced self-care alone. A total of 190 women with breast cancer were randomly assigned. Random assignment was performed with stratification for hormonal therapy; the allocation ratio was 1:1. Both groups received a booklet with information about climacteric syndrome and its management to be followed for at least 12 weeks. In addition, the acupuncture group received 10 traditional acupuncture treatment sessions involving needling of predefined acupoints. The primary outcome was hot flash score at the end of treatment (week 12), calculated as the frequency multiplied by the average severity of hot flashes. The secondary outcomes were climacteric symptoms and quality of life, measured by the Greene Climacteric and Menopause Quality of Life scales. Health outcomes were measured for up to 6 months after treatment. Expectation and satisfaction of treatment effect and safety were also evaluated. We used intention-to-treat analyses. Results Of the participants, 105 were randomly assigned to enhanced self-care and 85 to acupuncture plus enhanced self-care. Acupuncture plus enhanced self-care was associated with a significantly lower hot flash score than enhanced self-care at the end of treatment (P < .001) and at 3- and 6-month post-treatment follow-up visits (P = .0028 and .001, respectively). Acupuncture was also associated with fewer climacteric symptoms and higher quality of life in the vasomotor, physical, and psychosocial dimensions (P < .05). Conclusion Acupuncture in association with enhanced self-care is an effective integrative intervention for managing hot flashes and improving quality of life in women with breast cancer.

Download Full-text

Self-Compassion and Quality of Life in Adults Who Stutter

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2020_ajslp-20-00055 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 2097-2108

Author(s):

Robyn L. Croft ◽

Courtney T. Byrd

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

The Self ◽

Future Research ◽

Self Compassion ◽

Adults Who Stutter ◽

And Gender ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify levels of self-compassion in adults who do and do not stutter and to determine whether self-compassion predicts the impact of stuttering on quality of life in adults who stutter. Method Participants included 140 adults who do and do not stutter matched for age and gender. All participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale. Adults who stutter also completed the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Data were analyzed for self-compassion differences between and within adults who do and do not stutter and to predict self-compassion on quality of life in adults who stutter. Results Adults who do and do not stutter exhibited no significant differences in total self-compassion, regardless of participant gender. A simple linear regression of the total self-compassion score and total Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering score showed a significant, negative linear relationship of self-compassion predicting the impact of stuttering on quality of life. Conclusions Data suggest that higher levels of self-kindness, mindfulness, and social connectedness (i.e., self-compassion) are related to reduced negative reactions to stuttering, an increased participation in daily communication situations, and an improved overall quality of life. Future research should replicate current findings and identify moderators of the self-compassion–quality of life relationship.

Download Full-text