Year: 2020
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: AIM: We sought to evaluate the effect of radiation therapy on post-prostatectomy urinary quality of life in prostate cancer patients. BACKGROUND: In some men with non-metastatic prostate cancer, radiation therapy is indicated following prostatectomy. The radiation toxicity and quality of life considerations are unique in the post-prostatectomy setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 106 patients receiving post-prostatectomy radiation therapy completed the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite questionnaire before radiation and at 2-year follow-up. The primary outcomes of this study were the urinary domain summary score and subscale scores. Planned analysis was performed based on time interval from prostatectomy to radiation therapy. RESULTS: Among the 106 patients analyzed, the mean urinary domain summary score worsened at 2-year follow-up after radiation therapy, lowering from 77.23-72.51 (p = 0.0085). Similar worsening was observed in the subscales of function (p = 0.003), bother (p = 0.0397), and incontinence (p = 0.0003). Urinary incontinence showed the greatest observable change among subscales. While the summary score worsened (p = 0.0031) among patients receiving radiation therapy more than 1 year after prostatectomy, it did not show statistically significant change in those treated 1 year or less after prostatectomy. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that post-prostatectomy radiation therapy is associated with modest declines in reportable urinary quality of life. Patients receiving radiation therapy more than 1 year after prostatectomy showed greater worsening of urinary quality of life, which indicates that there may be no functional advantage to delaying radiation therapy beyond the initial postoperative period.
Authors: David K. Jenkins, Gregory P. Swanson, Sameer G. Jhavar, Kristofer R. Wagner, Chul S. Ha, Wencong Chen
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,685
OpenAlex ID: W3016971785