Hormone therapy in prostate cancer: Understanding patients' and caregivers' supportive care needs

Abstract

AbstractResearch Question Q1: What are the supportive care needs of individuals with prostate cancer in hormone therapy? Q2: What are the supportive care needs of individuals who care for prostate cancer patients? Research ProblemOur study aims to identify the supportive care needs of not only prostate cancer patients receiving hormone therapy, but also their caregivers.Literature ReviewThe literature review of this study was made by scanning the related field studies from the Google database, BNI, and so forth.MethodologyThis is a cross‐sectional definitive study conducted between February and June 2022 in the Shock Wave Lithography Unit (ESWL—where patients are given hormone therapy treatment needles) at Dokuz Eylul University Hospital in Turkey. The study involved 66 prostate cancer patients and 64 caregivers. The sample size was found by power analysis. The data obtained in the study were analysed on the SPSS 25 software package.Results79.9% of the caregivers were female and 43.8% were patients' spouses. 36% of the patients had 80%–90% performance rates on the Karnofsky scale. Due to drug side effects, ±45.1 of patients required support for sexual issues before and after diagnosis, and ±46.27 needed supportive care for water retention. Due to the difficulties experienced in the care process the caregivers; ±40.88 needed family support, and ±21.25 needed social services support (p < 0.05).ConclusionsIt was found that prostate cancer patients receiving hormone therapy and their caregivers had a range of supportive care needs due to the difficulties they faced.