Bowel, Urinary, and Sexual Problems Among Long-Term Prostate Cancer Survivors: A Population-Based Study
Received 5 March 2008; received in revised form 4 April 2008; accepted 7 April 2008. published online 05 June 2008.
Purpose
To obtain insight into the long-term (5- to 10-year) effects of prostate cancer and treatment on bowel, urinary, and sexual function, we performed a population-based study. Prostate-specific function was compared with an age-matched normative population without prostate cancer.
Methods and Materials
Through the population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry, we selected all men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1994 and 1998 in the southern Netherlands. In total, 964 patients, alive in November 2004, received questionnaire; 780 (81%) responded.
Results
Urinary problems were most common after a prostatectomy; bowel problems were most common after radiotherapy. Compared with an age-matched normative population both urinary and bowel functioning and bother were significantly worse among survivors. Urinary incontinence was reported by 23–48% of survivors compared with 4% of the normative population. Bowel leakage occurred in 5–14% of patients compared with 2% of norms. Erection problems occurred in 40–74% of patients compared with 18% of norms.
Conclusions
These results form an important contribution to the limited information available on prostate-specific problems in the growing group of long-term prostate cancer survivors. Bowel, urinary, and sexual problems occur more often among long-term survivors compared with a reference group and cannot be explained merely by age. Because these problems persist for many years, urologists should provide patients with adequate information before treatment. After treatment, there should be an appropriate focus on these problems.
∗CoRPS—Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
†Comprehensive Cancer Centre South (CCCS), Eindhoven Cancer Registry, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
‡Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC—University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
§Clinical Psychology Section, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
¶Department of Urology, Sint Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands
‖Department of Social Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Reprint requests to: F. Mols, Ph.D., CoRPS, Department of Medical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands. Tel: (+31) 13-466-3482; Fax: (+31) 13-466-2067
ABSTRACT