ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2023
Acupuncture versus sham acupuncture and usual care for Antiandrogen-Induced hot fLashes in prostate cancer (AVAIL): study protocol for a randomized clinical trial.
Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05069467 (Acupuncture Versus Sham Acupuncture or Usual Care for Antiandrogen-Induced Hot fLashes in Prostate Cancer), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Acupuncture Versus Sham Acupuncture or Usual Care for Antiandrogen-Induced Hot fLashes in Prostate Cancer (AVAIL): a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 2 citations in OpenAlex.
- Treatment of Hot Flashes in Men With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Androgen Deprivation Therapy.The Prostate · 2026Pooled it
- Survivorship Challenges in Metastatic Prostate Cancer in the Era of Prolonged Survival: A Review.Cancers · 2026Review
- The effectiveness of acupuncture in cancer pain treatment.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
18 authors at 12 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHot flashes are the common and debilitating symptom among prostate cancer (PCa) patients undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Strong evidence from multiple rigorously designed studies indicated that pharmacological option such as venlafaxine provides partial relief, but the tolerability is poor when dose is not tapered. Hence, alternative therapy is needed. Previous studies reported that acupuncture may be helpful in the management of hot flashes. However, the insufficient randomized controlled trial limited the quality of evidence.
methodsFive hospitals will recruit 120 acupuncture naïve patients with moderate-to-severe hot flashes after prostate cancer received ADT in China from February 2023 to December 2024. Participants will be randomly 2:1:1 allocated to the 18 sessions of verum acupuncture at true acupuncture points plus usual care, 18 sessions of non-penetrating sham acupuncture at non-acupuncture points plus usual care, or usual care alone over 6 weeks. The primary outcome measure is the change of mean weekly hot flashes symptom severity score (HFSSS) at the end of treatment compared with baseline. EXPECTED RESULTS AND
conclusionWe will be able to measure the effectiveness of acupuncture for patients with PCa suffering from ADT-induced hot flashes and whether acupuncture is superior to sham acupuncture and usual care. The proposed acupuncture treatment might provide an alternative option for those patients.
trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov (NCT05069467).
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.