The Role of Acupuncture in the Management of Prostate Cancer

Background: Among all the major developments in prostate-cancer management during the last 100 years, the ancient art of acupuncture may have a role. Objective: This article sets out to delineate this role by answering the following questions: Are there any identifiable causes and consequent preventive measures for prostate cancer that have merit? Do these correlate with mechanisms of causality from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective? What is the evidence for acupuncture for managing hot flashes, pain, nausea and vomiting, and lethargy? What acupuncture points should be used? How can acupuncture be integrated with allopathic medicine in the overall management of prostate cancer? Method: Seven major bibliographic databases were searched from January 1990 to December 2014; in addition, relevant journals, books, and documents were searched manually. Results: Studies showed that the risk associations of prostate cancer do appear to overlap with the TCM understanding of this disease. Based on an overview of systematic reviews, acupuncture is a useful adjuvant to standard pharmacologic analgesia to control cancer-related pain (which is not confined to prostate cancer); acupuncture is useful with conventional antiemetics for reducing frequency of vomiting and attenuating side-effects from chemotherapy, in general; and finally, the role of acupuncture for addressing hot flashes and lethargy in prostate cancer is uncertain, but the trend appears to be positive. Acupuncturists should communicate with coordinating specialists and play a supportive role in symptom management and its TCM connections by the creating meaning for patients, along with a positive approach to their dietary, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Conclusions: Acupuncture is justified in playing a supportive role together with allopathic medicine for treating prostate cancer.