A recent clinical study showed that a drug commonly used to treat overactive bladder can play an important role in alleviating the symptoms of hot flashes in men undergoing hormonal therapy to treat prostate cancer, which is one of the most common and annoying side effects in this category of patients.
The results, which were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and included participants from the Mayo Clinic, indicated that oxybutynin was more effective than placebo in reducing the number and severity of hot flashes.
Participants who received higher doses of the drug reported a significant improvement in their ability to carry out their daily activities and an improvement in their overall quality of life.
According to the study, the percentage of men who suffer from hot flashes during androgen deprivation therapy ranges between 60% and 80%, and these symptoms negatively affect sleep, mood, and general quality of life.
The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Bradley Stich, says that this type of symptom “does not receive enough attention despite its significant impact on patients.”
The trial included 88 patients who received treatment for six weeks, and the results showed that more than 75% of the participants responded positively to the treatment, as the severity of their hot flashes decreased by 50% or more compared to the group that received the placebo.
No serious side effects were recorded, except for some mild cases of dry mouth in recipients of higher doses.
The researchers believe that these results indicate the possibility of expanding therapeutic options for patients suffering from one of the most common and annoying side effects of prostate cancer treatment, with a call for larger studies to confirm effectiveness and determine the most appropriate doses.
Although researchers stress the need to conduct larger studies in the future to verify the results and determine optimal doses more precisely, the current results strongly support the adoption of oxybutynin as an effective treatment option for men who suffer from bothersome hot flashes associated with hormone therapy.