HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY-OF-LIFE AFTER TREATMENT FOR LOCALIZED PROSTATE-CANCER

Background. In men with prostate cancer, objective assessments of disease progression and survival time have dominated the published literature. Recently, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has also been studied as medical outcome in these men. HRQOL measures focus on the daily aspects of patients' lives that are often overlooked in traditional medical research. HRQOL outcomes can provide valuable information for physicians and patients deciding on therapy for localized prostate cancer. Methods. In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, 528 men, including 214 treated for clinically localized prostate cancer and 273 age-matched comparison subjects without prostate cancer, completed HRQOL surveys. Data were collected on general and disease specific HRQOL with established and newly developed psychometrically sound instruments. Results. No differences were seen among patient groups in comparisons of general or cancer specific HRQOL. Significant group differences were seen in prostate-targeted measures of dysfunction that included urinary, bowel, and sexual domains. Comparison subjects reported significant dysfunction in the urinary and bowel areas. Conclusions. HRQOL outcomes are important to men with prostate cancer. Although many patients experience specific treatment-related dysfunctions, their overall quality of life tends to remain unchanged. Because many older men lack perfect sexual potency, complete urinary dryness, or symptom-free bowels, regardless of whether they have been treated for prostate cancer, outcomes must be interpreted in this context. Both general HRQOL and disease-targeted measures must be used to assess medical outcomes in men treated for localized prostate cancer.