Health-related Quality of Life and Depression after Radical Prostatectomy or Hormonal Therapy

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the health-related quality of life (HQOL) and depression in prostate cancer patients with radial prostatectomy or hormonal therapy more than 6 months ago. Methods: A total of 116 patients participated in the study ( 83 radical prostatectomy patients and 33 hormonal therapy). Data were collected from 13th September to 13th November 2012, using two instruments-translated into Korean: Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite and Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form. Results: Hormonal therapy participants reported significantly higher scores of HQOL than radical prostatectomy participants did (p=.002). The HQOL subscales with significant differences were urinary function (p<.001) and incontinence (p<.001) under urinary domain and sexual bother (p<.001) under sexual domain. The level of depression was not significantly different between the two treatment groups. There were moderate negative correlations between HQOL and depression in both groups. Conclusion: Many of prostate cancer patients reported treatment-related functional deteriorations in urinary and sexual domains and they were depressed even more than 6 months after the treatment completion. To manage prostate cancer patients' HQOL and depression, clinicians including nurses should evaluate patients' complaints according to their treatment modality and intervene accordingly.