Abstract
BackgroundPatients with newly diagnosed early stage prostate cancer (PCa) face a difficult choice of different treatment options with curative intention. They must consider both goals of optimising quantity and quality of life. The quality of life (QoL) is a psychometric outcome which is measured using validated questionnaires. Only few data are published concerning pre - and postoperative QoL.MethodsThis study investigated pre perative QoL of 185 patients who consecutively underwent open radical retropubic prostatectomy for organ-confined PCa to postoperative QoL of another 185 patients. The EORTC QLQ-C30, EORTC QLQPR25 module and 24 h ICS pad test were used (mean follow-up 28.6 months).ResultsThe examined symptom scores of the EORTC QLQ-PR25 were on lowest level. In the dyspnoea symptom score differences of age emerged: the amount of patients who are short of breath rose significantly in older patients after surgery (p < 0.05 paired, two-tailed student's t-test).. Lastly, the urinary symptom score was found postal-therapeutically low; this fact was age independent. The results of sexual symptom score need to be taken into consideration, since prostatectomy resulted in a significant reduction of sexual activity independent of age. All functioning scales postoperatively reached high values without significant changes (p > 0.05 student's t-test ), which implies a high QoL after surgery. A reliable and satisfying status of continence was found in our patients after retropubic prostatectomy. A high rate of patients (89.2%) would choose retropubic prostatectomy again.ConclusionRetropubic prostatectomy represents a reliable and accepted procedure in the treatment of organ-confined PCa. For the first time it could be shown that patients` QoL remained on a high level after retropubic prostatectomy. Nevertheless, the primary avoidance or postoperative therapy of erectile dysfunction should be in the focus of surgeons.
Highlights
Patients with newly diagnosed early stage prostate cancer (PCa) face a difficult choice of different treatment options with curative intention
Patients with newly diagnosed early stage prostate cancer face a difficult choice of different treatment options with curative intention, and they must consider both goals of optimising quantity and quality of life
A bad to poor state of health was described by three patients (1.6%). 48.1% patients showed QoL good to excellent (48.1% > 70 years vs. 48.5% ≤ 70 years; p > 0.05, Student’s t-test), 6% reported bad to poor quality of life before surgery
Summary
Patients with newly diagnosed early stage prostate cancer (PCa) face a difficult choice of different treatment options with curative intention. They must consider both goals of optimising quantity and quality of life. The quality of life (QoL) is a psychometric outcome which is measured using validated questionnaires. Patients with newly diagnosed early stage prostate cancer face a difficult choice of different treatment options with curative intention, and they must consider both goals of optimising quantity and quality of life. QoL is a psychometric outcome which is measured using validated questionnaires. In our study the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ- PR25 module [6] were used
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