Emerging Non-Pharmacological Approaches in Endometriosis: Mechanistic Insights into Phototherapy, Hyperthermia, and Acupuncture—Literature Review

Iga Szukalska, Maciej Ziętek, Edyta Zagrodnik, Małgorzata Szczuko
In: Journal of Clinical Medicine · 2026 · vol. 15(11) , pp. 4136 · doi:10.3390/jcm15114136 · PMID:42278994 · PMC13257474 · W7162514832
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This literature review examined phototherapy, hyperthermia, and acupuncture for endometriosis, finding preclinical promise for phototherapy mechanisms like apoptosis, hyperthermia for pain reduction, and acupuncture for temporary pain relief and quality of life improvement.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-14 ⓘ

This paper is a PRISMA-guided systematic literature review of emerging non-pharmacological modalities for endometriosis, focusing on phototherapy (photothermal therapy and photodynamic therapy), thermal interventions/hyperthermia, and acupuncture, using PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS with English full-text studies in patients or animal models. The review reports that photothermal therapy has shown experimental efficacy by using laser-induced hyperthermia to selectively reduce transplanted endometrial lesions in mice with minimal observed side effects, while photodynamic therapy generates reactive oxygen species that can drive oxidative damage and, in case-based examples, reduce lesion vascularization and resolve lung-localized hemoptysis after one treatment. A major limitation emphasized is substantial heterogeneity across included study types (including animal models and case reports), leading the authors to refrain from formal scoring and not perform a meta-analysis. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it synthesizes mechanistic and evidence-based research on phototherapy, hyperthermia-related approaches, and acupuncture for endometriosis-associated pain and lesions.

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Abstract

Background/Objectives: Endometriosis is a chronic condition affecting women of reproductive age. Its symptoms have a negative impact on the quality of life and fertility of many women in the population. The aim of this literature review was to examine the use of phototherapy, heating and acupuncture in the treatment of endometriosis. Methods: A structured review of the available literature using the PubMed, Embase and Scopus databases, including studies from the last 10 years and with full free access, was applied. The literature search was conducted using the keywords: “endometriosis”, “phototherapy”, “heating” and “acupuncture”. Results: Phototherapy, including photothermal (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT), demonstrated promising results in preclinical animal models, suggesting a potential for reducing endometrial lesions, primarily through mechanisms involving apoptosis, necrosis, and oxidative stress. However, most studies were limited to animal models. Thermal interventions, including magnetic hyperthermia and perioperative heating strategies, were associated with pain reduction, although improper use may lead to adverse effects such as erythema. Acupuncture showed effectiveness in reducing pain and improving quality of life, although its effects may be temporary and supported mainly by small-scale studies and case reports. Conclusions: Studies available in the literature demonstrate the effectiveness of the phototherapy effect, utilizing the mechanism of apoptosis or necrosis, in eliminating endometrial tissue and reducing pain. Acupuncture, derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine, also reduces pain. Non-pharmacological interventions may provide supportive benefits in the management of endometriosis, particularly in pain reduction and lesion control.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (32)

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