QUALITY OF LIFE FOLLOWING SIMULTANEOUS PLACEMENT OF PENILE PROSTHESIS WITH RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY

Abstract

The present study examined erectile functioning, frequency of sexual contact, psychological functioning, partner/marital satisfaction and overall quality of life (QOL) after immediate sexual rehabilitation for prostate cancer via simultaneous placement of a penile prosthesis at radical retropubic prostatectomy (RP). Questionnaire packets were sent to and received from 51 men who had undergone simultaneous implantation of a penile prosthesis at the time of RP (PP+) and from a comparison group of 47 men who undergone RP alone (PP-) matched by age and year of surgery. Questionnaires included the Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and a prostate specific European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QOL questionnaire. Further comparisons were performed for a PP- subgroup consisting of 15 patients who had undergone nerve sparing RP. Higher Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction, EORTC Sexual Functioning, EORTC Total scores and more frequent sexual contact were reported by the PP+ group compared with the PP- group. The PP+ group also had better outcomes that approached but did not reach statistical significance compared with the nerve sparing subgroup with regard to Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and EORTC Emotional Functioning scores. Men who chose simultaneous placement of a penile prosthesis with RP reported greater overall QOL, erectile function and more frequent sexual contact than a comparison group of men who underwent RP alone. Placement of penile prosthesis at the time of RP may be a desirable option for men with prostate cancer in whom a nerve sparing procedure may not be ideal. These results underscore the importance of sexual function for men undergoing prostate cancer treatment.