Key Finding
A randomized controlled trial of 208 cervical cancer patients is underway to determine whether electroacupuncture administered five times weekly for two weeks can improve successful urinary catheter removal rates and reduce postoperative urinary retention following radical hysterectomy.
After a radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer, many women find they cannot urinate normally on their own — a problem called postoperative urinary retention (POUR). This means they may need to rely on a urinary catheter for longer than expected, which can be uncomfortable, raise the risk of infection, and seriously affect quality of life during an already difficult recovery.
Researchers in China are now running a clinical trial to find out whether electroacupuncture (EA) — a modern form of acupuncture that uses gentle electrical stimulation through the needles — can help these patients regain normal bladder function more quickly. The study will enroll 208 women who develop POUR after cervical cancer surgery. Half will receive real electroacupuncture treatments five times a week for two weeks, while the other half will receive a sham (fake) version that mimics the treatment without the active needling. Neither group will know which treatment they are receiving.
The main thing researchers want to know is how many patients in each group are able to have their urinary catheter successfully removed. They will also measure how much urine remains in the bladder after going to the bathroom, track urinary tract infections, and assess overall quality of life using a standard cancer questionnaire.
This is a carefully designed, ethics-approved trial that could provide important evidence about a safe, non-drug option for a very common and distressing surgical complication. While results are not yet available — the study is still enrolling participants — electroacupuncture has already shown promise in related bladder conditions, giving patients and doctors reason to be hopeful.
If you are exploring acupuncture as part of your cancer recovery, always consult a licensed, experienced acupuncturist who has training in oncology support care.
This prospective, single-blinded, single-center RCT (NCT07253194) is designed to evaluate the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) versus sham EA for postoperative urinary retention (POUR) following radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. A total of 208 patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive either active EA or sham EA at five sessions per week over two weeks. The primary endpoint is successful urinary catheter removal rate. Secondary outcomes include post-void residual (PVR) volume, urinary tract infection incidence, and EORTC QLQ-C30 quality of life scores. Analysis will follow intention-to-treat principles. POUR is a highly prevalent morbidity in this surgical population, with significant implications for recovery trajectory and infection risk. No effect size data are yet available as this is a published protocol. Approved by Zhejiang Cancer Hospital's Ethics Committee (IRB-2025-1315), this trial addresses a genuine clinical gap and may provide level-I evidence supporting EA as an adjunct intervention for neurogenic bladder dysfunction in the post-radical hysterectomy setting.
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