Health-Related Quality of Life in Men With Advanced Versus Localized Prostate Cancer
Posted: Friday, February 15, 2019
According to findings presented in The Lancet Oncology, men in the United Kingdom diagnosed with localized versus advanced prostate cancer reported little difference in health-related quality of life. For all men in the population-based study, the use of androgen-deprivation therapy was associated with greater toxicity, and a large percentage of men reported sexual problems that were often not addressed.
“Sexual dysfunction is common, and most men are not offered helpful intervention or support,” concluded Amy Downing, PhD, of the University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, and colleagues. “Service improvements around sexual rehabilitation and measures to reduce the effects of androgen-deprivation therapy are required.”
The study centered on survey respondents from 35,823 men in the United Kingdom who were diagnosed with prostate cancer within 18 to 42 months. Of the 30,733 respondents with known disease stage,19,599 (63.8%) had stage I or II disease, 7,209 (23.4%) had stage III disease, and 3,925 (12.8%) had stage IV disease.
The mean adjusted domain scores on the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite short form (EPIC-26) were high for all patients, except in regard to sexual function. Among the men, regardless of disease stage, 81% reported poor sexual function, and more than half (18,782) were not offered any intervention. Comparing men who did and did not receive androgen-deprivation therapy, those who did receive therapy reported moderate to big problems with hot flushes (30.7% vs. 5.4%, respectively), low energy (29.4% vs. 14.7%, respectively), and weight gain (22.5% vs. 6.9%, respectively).
Disclosure: The study authors’ disclosure information may be found at thelancet.com.
