Patients’ Perceptions of Quality of Life After Treatment for Early Prostate Cancer

Purpose: Treatment for early prostate cancer produces problematic physical side effects, but prior studies have found little influence on patients’ perceived health status. We examined psychosocial outcomes of treatment for early prostate cancer. Patients and Methods: Patients with previously treated prostate cancer and a reference group of men with a normal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level and no history of prostate cancer completed questionnaires. Innovative scales assessed behavioral consequences of urinary dysfunction, sexuality, health worry, PSA concern, perceived cancer control, treatment decision making, decision regret, and cancer-related outlook. Urinary, bowel, and sexual dysfunction were assessed with symptom indexes; health status was assessed by the Physical and Mental Summaries of the Short Form (SF-12) Health Survey. Results: Compared with men without prostate cancer, prostate cancer patients reported greater urinary, bowel, and sexual dysfunction, but similar health status. They repo...