Prevalence, associated factors, and relationship to quality of life of lower urinary tract symptoms: a cross-sectional, questionnaire survey of cancer patients

SUMMARY Background: Few studies conducted outside of Asia have shown that lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) could be a concern for cancer patients. This gap necessitates more research on LUTS among cancer patients in Asia, particularly regarding associated factors and the relationship between quality of life and LUTS. Objectives: This study investigates the prevalence, associated factors, and relationship to quality of life of LUTS based on a sample of cancer patients. Design: A cross-sectional, questionnaire survey. Settings/participants: This study was conducted at two oncology outpatient departments in two hospitals in Taiwan, and included 134 Asian cancer patients. Methods: We collected information about each participant’s individual characteristics, personal habits, LUTS, and quality of life by using a questionnaire. We calculated descriptive statistics to demonstrate the distribution of collected information, and used multivariate logistic regression to identify the factors associated with LUTS. We used Student’s t-test to compare the mean quality of life scores for participants with and without LUTS. Results: Ninety-nine (73.9%) participants experienced at least one type of LUTS, and the prevalence rates for various types of LUTS ranged from 3.7% to 52.2%. Radiotherapy and the time since the diagnosis of cancer were associated with LUTS. Participants with LUTS reported lower quality of life scores than participants without LUTS. Conclusions: The high prevalence of LUTS suggests that cancer treatment might be linked to LUTS, which in turn has a negative effect on a patient’s quality of life. These results suggest that future research should involve studies in larger, more homogeneous samples. Health care providers should monitor the presence of LUTS and deliver the management and treatments of LUTS to optimise cancer patients’ quality of life. What’s known Few studies conducted outside of Asia have shown that lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) could be a concern for cancer patients, and few of these studies have investigated LUTS among Asian cancer patients. Previous research on LUTS among cancer patients is limited, particularly regarding the associated factors and relationship to the quality of life. What’s new The prevalence of LUTS among cancer patients is high. Radiotherapy and the time since the diagnosis of cancer might be linked to LUTS. Cancer patients with LUTS reported lower quality of life scores than those without symptoms. These results contribute to knowledge about LUTS among Asian cancer patients.