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Cancer: prostate

from Medical topics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2014

By
Stephen J. Lepore  and
Katherine J. Roberts
Edited by
Susan Ayers ,
Andrew Baum ,
Chris McManus ,
Stanton Newman ,
Kenneth Wallston ,
John Weinman  and
Robert West
Stephen J. Lepore
Affiliation:
Temple University
Katherine J. Roberts
Affiliation:
Columbia University
Susan Ayers
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
Andrew Baum
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Chris McManus
Affiliation:
St Mary's Hospital Medical School
Stanton Newman
Affiliation:
University College and Middlesex School of Medicine
Kenneth Wallston
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
John Weinman
Affiliation:
United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas's
Robert West
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London
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Summary

Prostate cancer is one of the most common solid tumour malignancies in developed countries (Pisani et al., 2002) and a leading cause of cancer death in American and European men (Bray et al., 2002; American Cancer Society, 2005). This chapter highlights the effects of prostate cancer on quality of life and reviews the behavioural and psychosocial interventions designed to educate men about prostate cancer, enhance decision-making, or improve quality of life.

Quality of life

Prostate cancer and its treatments result in disease-specific and more general problems in quality of life (Eton & Lepore, 2002) (see ‘Quality of Life’). The most common disease-specific problems are urinary and sexual dysfunction. Within a year after treatment, urinary problems often subside, but sexual problems tend to persist (e.g. Lubeck et al., 1999). In men with localized disease, general problems, such as difficulties in social-, emotional- and physical-functioning are reported considerably less often than genito-urinary problems, and may not occur at all in some men (e.g. Lubeck et al., 1999; Bisson et al., 2002; Lepore et al., 2003). Men with progressive disease are more likely to report social–emotional difficulties, as well as chronic pain and fatigue (e.g. Albertsen et al., 1997). It is not yet clear how pharmacological and surgical control of progressive prostate cancer influences general quality of life outcomes.

Interventions

Informed decision-making about testing

Prostate cancer is often indolent and frequently affects men with other life-threatening illnesses, so it is difficult to evaluate the effects of screening and treatments on prostate cancer outcomes.

Type
Chapter
Information
Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine , pp. 607 - 609
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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References

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