A new trial is investigating whether nurse-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help reduce hot flushes and night sweats experienced by men undergoing hormonal treatment for prostate cancer.
Around half of all men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer receive a hormonal treatment called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) which reduces or blocks their levels of the male hormone testosterone. Up to 80% of men on ADT could experience side effects including hot flushes and night sweats, in some cases impacting on quality of life including sleep disturbance, anxiety, low moods. If severe, men sometimes decide to stop the treatment.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that can help people to manage some mental and physical health problems by changing the way they think about, and deal with, their thoughts and symptoms. The MANCAN2 study, run by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, is investigating whether self-help CBT sessions delivered by NHS Prostate Cancer Nurse Specialist teams can be effective for ADT patients.