Biomedical subjects

Mark S Litwin

Publications and source records attributed to Mark S Litwin.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Assessment of content completeness and accuracy of prostate cancer patient education materials.

Providing care for men with prostate cancer is particularly challenging because of the controversy surrounding screening and the paucity of randomized control trials comparing treatments. Therefore, a patient's personal preferences, and adequate patient education become central to well-informed medical decision-making. Acknowledging the need for high quality education materials for men with prostate cancer, we developed and pilot tested a measure to assess the completeness and accuracy of available materials. The measure rates materials on their inclusion and accuracy of the primary knowledge base a patient should acquire before deciding on prostate cancer screening or treatment, to prepare for staging, and to manage treatment and disease-related symptoms. We found that many available prostate cancer education materials are factually accurate, but omit information that is important and relevant to patients with prostate cancer.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

PubMed2004

Confidence in the ability to communicate with physicians among low-income patients with prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the confidence of low-income patients with prostate cancer in interacting with physicians. Men with prostate cancer need to communicate easily with their physicians when facing treatment decisions and symptom management; however, little is known about whether low-income men are confident in these interactions. METHODS: We used validated instruments to measure self-efficacy in patient-physician interactions, emotional well-being, symptom distress, satisfaction with care, and health-related quality of life among low-income men receiving prostate cancer treatment through a statewide public assistance program. We abstracted clinical variables from medical records. We dichotomized self-efficacy scores empirically on the basis of the sample distribution and conducted univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The self-efficacy scores were skewed toward the high scores, with 77% in the high range. Those (23%) with low self-efficacy were more likely to have poor emotional well-being, symptom distress, role limitations--emotional, low social function, and poor urinary, sexual, and bowel outcomes. In multivariate analysis, low-income men were more likely to have low self-efficacy if they were less satisfied with their care, did not have confidence in their provider, or had more symptom distress. CONCLUSIONS: Among low-income patients with prostate cancer, low self-efficacy for interacting with physicians was best predicted by diminished overall satisfaction with care, low confidence in providers, and worse symptom distress. Men with low self-efficacy fared worse over a range of psychosocial outcomes and both general and disease-specific health-related quality of life.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2004

The contemporary management of prostate cancer in the United States: lessons from the cancer of the prostate strategic urologic research endeavor (CapSURE), a national disease registry.

PURPOSE: The epidemiology and treatment of prostate cancer have changed dramatically in the prostate specific antigen era. A large disease registry facilitates the longitudinal observation of trends in disease presentation, management and outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) is a national disease registry of more than 10000 men with prostate cancer accrued at 31 primarily community based sites across the United States. Demographic, clinical, quality of life and resource use variables are collected on each patient. We reviewed key findings from the data base in the last 8 years in the areas of disease management trends, and oncological and quality of life outcomes. RESULTS: Prostate cancer is increasingly diagnosed with low risk clinical characteristics. With time patients have become less likely to receive pretreatment imaging tests, less likely to pursue watchful waiting and more likely to receive brachytherapy or hormonal therapy. Relatively few patients treated with radical prostatectomy in the database are under graded or under staged before surgery, whereas the surgical margin rate is comparable to that in academic series. CaPSURE data confirm the usefulness of percent positive biopsies in risk assessment and they have further been used to validate multiple preoperative nomograms. CaPSURE results strongly affirm the necessity of patient reported quality of life assessment. Multiple studies have compared the quality of life impact of various treatment options, particularly in terms of urinary and sexual function, and bother. CONCLUSIONS: The presentation and management of prostate cancer have changed substantially in the last decade. CaPSURE will continue to track these trends as well as oncological and quality of life outcomes, and will continue to be an invaluable resource for the study of prostate cancer at the national level.

Biomedical Research↗

PubMed2004

Predicting quality of life after radical prostatectomy: results from CaPSURE.

PURPOSE: We investigated the usefulness of patient and tumor characteristics in predicting continence, potency, and physical and mental health 1 year after radical prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 372 men drawn from Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE), a national, longitudinal cohort, who underwent radical prostatectomy alone for localized prostate cancer. Health related quality of life (HRQOL) was assessed before and 12 months after (range 9 to 15) surgery with the Physical and Mental Component Summaries of the RAND 36-Item Health Survey and the Sexual and Urinary Function scales of the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index. Covariates included clinical T stage, prostate specific antigen Gleason sum, age, race, income, education, relationship status, comorbidity and overall health self-rating. Chi-square and backward stepwise multivariate analysis identified differences between men who did and did not return to baseline HRQOL postoperatively. Return to baseline HRQOL score was set at 90% or greater for physical and mental health, 80% for continence and 75% for potency. RESULTS: After 1 year 63%, 20%, 80% and 86% returned to baseline continence, potency, physical health and mental health, respectively. Men younger than 65 years were more likely to return to baseline continence, potency, and physical but not mental health. Univariate analyses also revealed several other characteristics to predict (p <0.05) better outcomes including household income greater than 30,000 US dollars (potency, physical health), fewer comorbidities (potency, physical health), and excellent or very good health self-rating (mental health). In multivariate analyses subjects younger than 65 years were more likely to return to baseline urinary (OR 1.8, p <0.01), sexual (OR 2.5, p <0.01) and physical health (OR 1.8, p = 0.03). Furthermore, subjects with no comorbidities were more likely to return to baseline physical health (OR 2.5, p = 0.01), while those with an excellent or very good baseline health self-rating were more likely to return to baseline mental health (OR 2.3, p = 0.01). Clinical T stage, prostate specific antigen and Gleason sum did not predict return to baseline HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Younger patient age (less than 65) is associated with a greater likelihood of returning to baseline continence, potency and physical health after radical prostatectomy. In addition, patients who underwent radical prostatectomy without comorbidities and those with high health self-ratings are more likely to return to baseline physical and mental health, respectively. Preoperative tumor characteristics do not appear to be associated with regaining baseline HRQOL, suggesting that factors not measured in this model may be important in optimizing quality of life after radical prostatectomy.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Bowel function and bother after treatment for early stage prostate cancer: a longitudinal quality of life analysis from CaPSURE.

PURPOSE: We measured bowel function and bowel bother longitudinally the first 2 years after treatment for early stage prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied bowel function and bother in 1,584 men recently diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer and followed for 2 years after radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation or brachytherapy. Principal outcomes were assessed with the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index, a validated instrument that includes these 2 domains. Multivariate analyses were conducted to ascertain significant predictors of bowel function and bother. Subjects were drawn from Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE, TAP Pharmaceutical Products, Inc., Lake Forest, Illinois), a national, longitudinal registry of men with prostate cancer. RESULTS: Men treated with external beam radiation or brachytherapy suffered worse bowel function and were more bothered by it than men treated surgically. After an initial period of posttreatment impairment, all 3 groups demonstrated improvement with time in both domains, although bowel bother persisted longer in men treated with external beam radiation. Surgery patients reached a steady state by 3 months, while those treated with external beam radiation or brachytherapy continued to improve for more than a year after treatment. Older men were more bothered by bowel dysfunction than younger men. Ethnicity, comorbidity and education did not affect either bowel function or bother. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing surgery, external beam radiation or brachytherapy have different longitudinal profiles of bowel function and bother during the first 2 years after treatment. Bowel function and bother are worse after external beam radiation but they are also impaired after brachytherapy. Men choosing surgery experience transient impairment in the bowel domains. This information may be useful to patients making treatment decisions for early stage prostate cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2004

Geographic variation across veterans affairs medical centers in the treatment of early stage prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: We investigated geographic variation in the treatment of early stage prostate cancer in a national sample of veterans after widespread adoption of the prostate specific antigen test. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our sample consisted of 16,352 cases from the Veterans Affairs Central Cancer Registry that were diagnosed between January 1997 and December 1999 with stage I or II prostate cancer. We used a 2-stage nested logit model to compare surgery, radiation therapy and noncurative treatment among 4 geographic regions of the United States. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed that patients in the West (referent group) had a higher OR of undergoing surgery than radiation compared with the Northeast, South or Midwest (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.87, OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.98 and OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.87, respectively. Black men, men with lower grade and higher stage tumors, and unmarried men were less likely to undergo curative treatment and less likely to undergo surgery than radiation. CONCLUSIONS: Geographic variation persists in patterns of care in men with early stage prostate cancer. However, this variation is limited to the choice between surgery and radiation rather than to the choice between curative and noncurative treatment.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Quality-of-care indicators for early-stage prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Decisions regarding treatment for early-stage prostate cancer are frustrated not only by inadequate evidence favoring one treatment modality but also by the absence of data comparing quality among providers. In fact, the choice of provider may be as important as the choice of treatment. We undertook this study to develop an infrastructure to evaluate variations in quality of care for men with early-stage prostate cancer. METHODS: We enlisted several sources to develop a list of proposed quality-of-care indicators and covariates. After an extensive structured literature review and a series of focus groups with patients and their spouses, we conducted structured interviews with national academic leaders in prostate cancer treatment. We then convened an expert panel using the RAND consensus method to discuss and rate the validity and feasibility of the proposed quality indicators and covariates. RESULTS: The panel endorsed 49 quality-of-care indicators and 14 covariates, which make up our final list of candidate measures. Several domains of quality are represented in the selected indicators, including patient volume, pretreatment referrals, preoperative testing, interpretation of pathology specimens, and 10-year disease-free survival. Covariates include measures of case-mix, such as patient age and comorbidity. CONCLUSION: This study establishes a foundation on which to build quality-of-care assessment tools to evaluate the treatment of early-stage prostate cancer. The next step is to field-test the indicators for feasibility, reliability, validity, and clinical utility in a population-based sample. This work will begin to inform medical decision-making for patients and their physicians.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2003

Use of quality indicators to evaluate the care of patients with localized prostate carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The goal of quality assurance in health care is to preserve and improve patient care. Recently, RAND developed a set of evidence-based candidate indicators for evaluating the quality of care for patients with localized prostate carcinoma; however, the feasibility and sensitivity of these indicators have not been tested in a clinical setting. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of measuring these quality indicators and to determine their sensitivity to change in practice patterns over time. METHODS: One hundred sixty-eight men who presented in either 1995 or in 2000 and were treated for localized prostate carcinoma were selected randomly from the University of Michigan tumor registry. A combination of electronic data base review and explicit chart review was used to assess the feasibility of measuring compliance for each indicator. For each indicator in which assessment was feasible, compliance with the RAND indicators was determined for patients in both years. Multivariate regression analysis was used to adjust for potential confounding effects of disease stage, tumor grade, prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, patient age, and therapy. RESULTS: Based on review of available clinical data, measurement of compliance was feasible for 19 of 22 RAND candidate quality indicators (86%). For five indicators, significant differences in documentation (compliance) were detected between 1995 and 2000 (P < 0.05). Treatment received and higher PSA levels were associated independently with documentation of compliance for several indicators (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of the majority of the RAND quality indicators for the treatment of patients with localized prostate carcinoma was feasible, and improvements in several indicators were observed between 1995 and 2000. Demonstration of such variation, even within a single institution, suggests that the indicators are sufficiently sensitive to detect differences in practice patterns.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Role of surgeon volume in radical prostatectomy outcomes.

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of hospital and surgeon volume on postoperative outcomes and to determine whether hospital or surgeon volume is the stronger predictor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using 1997 to 1998 claims data from a national 5% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries, we identified 2,292 men who underwent radical prostatectomy at 1,210 hospitals by 1,788 surgeons. Hospitals were classified as high (> or = 60 per year) or low (< 60 per year) volume according to radical prostatectomy experience over the 2-year period. Surgeons were classified as high (> or = 40 per year) or low (< 40 per year) volume. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to control for patient demographics and comorbidities when assessing the association of hospital and surgeon volume with in-hospital complications, length of stay, and anastomotic stricture rates. In-hospital complications included cardiac, respiratory, vascular, wound, genitourinary, and miscellaneous surgical and medical conditions. RESULTS: High-volume surgeons had half the complication risk (odds ratio [OR] = 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32 to 0.89) and shorter lengths of stay (4.1 v 5.2 days, P =.03) compared with low-volume surgeons. High-volume hospital patients tended to have fewer anastomotic strictures (OR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.49 to 1.04). Patient age (> or = 75 years) was associated with more complications (OR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.39 to 2.70), more anastomotic strictures (OR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.54 to 3.15), and longer hospital stays (parameter estimate = 2.26; 95% CI, 1.75 to 2.77). CONCLUSION: Surgeon volume is inversely related to in-hospital complications and length of stay in men undergoing radical prostatectomy. Hospital volume is not significantly associated with outcomes after adjusting for physician volume. Further study is necessary to elucidate the mechanism of the volume-outcome effect.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Quality of life after treatment for prostate cancer.

Quality of life is a major concern of patients when they are choosing treatment for prostate cancer. Health-related quality of life is a patient-centered variable from the field of health services research that can be measured in a valid and reliable manner. Using standardized questionnaires specifically developed to capture health-related quality of life data in men with prostate cancer, the effect of treatments on patients' quality of life can be studied. Patients with localized disease who are undergoing radical prostatectomy tend to have more sexual and urinary dysfunction than men undergoing external beam radiation therapy, although both groups have more impairment in these areas than age-matched controls. Men undergoing external beam radiation therapy have worse bowel function and more urinary distress from irritative voiding symptoms than men undergoing radical prostatectomy or age-matched controls. Recent studies of men undergoing interstitial brachytherapy indicate that these patients have less urinary leakage than those who undergo radical prostatectomy, but experience considerably more irritating voiding symptoms, which often profoundly affect their quality of life. Better information regarding the potential impact of prostate cancer treatment on quality of life will improve medical decision-making.

Brachytherapy↗

PubMed2003

The physical burden of prostate cancer.

The physical burden of prostate cancer is considerable and affects quality of life in men with both localized and metastatic disease. This physical impact results as much from treatment for prostate cancer as from the disease itself. In advanced disease, although patients can experience considerable pain and discomfort from bony lesions, they also can experience bothersome fatigue and sleep disturbances from institution of hormone ablation therapy. In localized disease, although patients can have lower urinary tract symptoms from untreated prostate cancer, all aggressive treatments can result in urinary, sexual, and bowel dysfunction that can bother the patient and affect quality of life. Patients and providers must be vigilantly aware of the physical burden of prostate cancer when initiating treatment for this disease and during follow up after treatment. By being cognizant of the physical impact of prostate cancer on quality of life, providers can address patients' problems early in their course of treatment and maximize patients' HRQOL and overall satisfaction with care.

Brachytherapy↗

PubMed2003

Quality of life following definitive therapy for localized prostate cancer: potential impact of multiple therapies.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patients with clinically localized prostate cancer often undergo multiple therapies during their disease trajectory, either as planned combinations or as salvage for recurrence. Most studies of health-related quality of life in men with prostate cancer have focused on those receiving one modality or another. This review summarizes the little that is known about health-related quality of life after multiple therapies. RECENT FINDINGS: Twelve articles are reviewed. One is more of historical interest at this time and sets the stage for the great prevalence of combination therapy with androgen ablation in men undergoing pelvic irradiation. Six deal with brachytherapy combined with external beam radiation therapy, androgen ablation, or both. Three address androgen ablation or radiation for biochemical recurrence. One presents outcomes following salvage radiation, and one summarizes results from patients undergoing salvage radiation or prostatectomy following primary treatment with the other. SUMMARY: Combination therapy for early stage prostate cancer confers many additional decrements in health-related quality of life that must be considered when making treatment decisions, especially given the minimal differences in survival between various approaches.

Combined Modality Therapy↗

PubMed2003

Temporal trends in radical prostatectomy complications from 1991 to 1998.

PURPOSE: We performed a retrospective, longitudinal, population based study to ascertain whether radical prostatectomy outcomes improved after the diffusion of surgical innovations during the last decade. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a 5% national random sample of Medicare beneficiaries we identified 12,079 men who underwent radical prostatectomy from 1991 to 1998. We analyzed relevant Medicare data to establish length of stay and the rate of in hospital complications (cardiac, respiratory, vascular, wound and genitourinary conditions) as well as the rate of anastomotic stricture, incontinence and impotence through 36 months after surgery. We performed multivariate logistic regression to control for age, race and geographic region when assessing the association of surgery year with outcomes of interest. RESULTS: Between 1991 and 1998 the in hospital complication rate decreased from 38% to 30% and mean length of stay decreased from 8.1 to 5.1 days. Each value had significant regional variation throughout the United States. The 3-year incontinence rate decreased from 20% in 1991 to 4% in 1995. However, no meaningful trends were observed in the rate of impotence, anastomotic stricture, or placement of artificial urinary sphincters or penile prostheses. On multivariate analysis, older age (75 years or older, OR 1.68, p <0.01) and nonwhite race (OR 1.35, p <0.01) were associated with more in hospital complications. Nonwhite patients were also more likely to be diagnosed with impotence (OR 1.25, p <0.01) and undergo penile prosthesis placement (OR 1.5, p <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: As urologists reach consensus on the ideal clinical characteristics for radical prostatectomy candidates, surgery in fewer elderly patients and the dissemination of surgical advances have been associated with shorter length of stay, fewer in hospital complications and a lower long-term incontinence rate. However, there is capacity for improvement, as evidenced by the unchanging rate of anastomotic stricture and impotence.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Screening behavior in brothers and sons of men with prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: We identified factors associated with screening behavior in the brothers and sons of men with prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We contacted 837 men with prostate cancer to invite their 40 to 70-year-old brothers or sons to participate in this study. We mailed the brothers and sons who contacted us a survey to explore sociodemographic and medical characteristics, prostate cancer family history, prostate cancer knowledge, self-efficacy, barriers to screening, perceived benefits, perceived vulnerability and medical support. RESULTS: Of the 138 candidates who participated in the study 86 (62%) had undergone prostate specific antigen and digital rectal examination within the last 2 years. Men older than 50 years, those who had discussed prostate cancer screening with their physician, those with good knowledge of recommended screening frequency and those with no co-morbidity had undergone screening more often than others. CONCLUSIONS: Physician support and prostate cancer screening knowledge were positively associated with previous screening. Effective interventions to increase screening in families at risk should target physicians.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Health related quality of life in men with prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Quality of life is of great concern to patients considering treatment options for prostate cancer. In the absence of clinical trial data clearly demonstrating that a particular treatment is superior to another for localized prostate cancer, in terms of cause specific survival, patients may value quality of life as much as quantity of life. The goal of this review is to familiarize the reader with the methodology of quality of life research and to review the recent literature on quality of life outcomes in prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A structured MEDLINE review of literature on health related quality of life in prostate cancer for the years 1995 to 2001 was performed, and was augmented with highly relevant articles from additional selected journals. RESULTS: In the case of advanced or metastatic disease, where the goal of treatment is palliation and symptom-free survival, quality of life often becomes the primary desired outcome. In localized disease all treatments affect health related quality of life, although the impact of each therapy on sexual, urinary and bowel function is unique. CONCLUSIONS: Although a highly personal and subjective entity, health related quality of life can be assessed using rigorous and scientifically stringent methods from the field of psychometric test theory. A substantial amount of literature exists regarding the use of established and validated instruments for assessing the impact of prostate cancer and its treatment on health related quality of life. This information is of critical importance when counseling men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer regarding treatment choices and is also helpful in setting appropriate expectations for men with metastatic disease.

Humans↗

PubMed2003

Regret in men treated for localized prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: We identify the predictors of medical regret in men treated for localized prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients previously treated for early stage prostate cancer were assessed for treatment regret using validated items. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified associations between regret and demographic characteristics, clinical outcomes, medical knowledge, and general and disease specific health related quality of life as measured by the general health perceptions domain of the RAND 36-Item Health Survey and a validated short form of the University of California, Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index. RESULTS: Of 96 respondents (mean age 64 years, mean followup 2.8 years) 16% expressed regret with treatment decisions. Regretful men were almost twice as likely as nonregretful men to have less than a college education (60% versus 33%, p = 0.05) and worse current health related quality of life (p <0.05). In addition, regretful men tended to be unable to recall the most recent prostate specific antigen accurately (p = 0.06). Men with and without regret did not differ in other demographic characteristics, treatment choice or clinical outcomes. Regretful men were more likely to say they would choose a different treatment if they could. In multivariate analyses worse quality of life predicted regret but decline in quality of life with time was not associated with regret. CONCLUSIONS: Men expressing regret over treatment choice for localized prostate cancer have poorer health related quality of life. Further study is needed to identify factors that predict posttreatment regret. Such information will allow patients and physicians to individualize treatment decisions, optimize quality of life and avoid medical regret.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Variation in continence and potency by definition.

PURPOSE: The reporting of quality of life outcomes after prostate cancer treatment has improved with the use of validated instruments and third party data collection, and yet widely disparate continence and potency rates persist among providers. We assessed how well various definitions of these outcomes correspond with each other in the same patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A longitudinal cohort of 269 men undergoing radical prostatectomy for early stage prostate cancer completed quality of life questionnaires, including the University of California-Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index. Six definitions of urinary continence and 6 definitions of potency represented by individual or aggregated items in the survey were analyzed. Using 2,506 questionnaires patients meeting the criteria for continence or potency by each definition were compared. RESULTS: Correspondence among continence definitions varied widely. Of the men who reported using no pads only 42% leaked urine not at all. Other definitions had higher rates of concordance with 98% of patients who reported total control also claiming no pads. Correspondence among potency definitions was even more disparate. Only 5% of men with erections firm enough for intercourse reported having morning erection very often, while 61% rated their ability to function sexually as good or very good. CONCLUSIONS: Variations in outcomes from items intended to measure the same domain reflect the idiosyncrasy of patient definitions of urinary and erectile function. Disease targeted, health related quality of life outcomes vary greatly depending on the specific definition used.

Erectile Dysfunction↗

PubMed2003

Fear of cancer recurrence in patients undergoing definitive treatment for prostate cancer: results from CaPSURE.

PURPOSE: Contemporary cancer treatments have resulted in patients living longer but with the risk of disease recurrence. Studies suggest that fear of recurrence is a significant burden. We described fear of cancer recurrence in patients with prostate cancer undergoing treatment with radical prostatectomy (RP), radiation (XRT) or brachytherapy (BT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 519 patients (326 RP, 53 XRT, 140 BT) were identified from CaPSURE (Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor), a national longitudinal registry of men with prostate cancer. To be included in the study patients had to complete at least 1 pretreatment and 2 posttreatment health related quality of life questionnaires and have complete clinical information. Fear of cancer recurrence was assessed with a validated 5-item scale, and was described at baseline and up to 2 years after treatment. Multivariate linear regression was performed to determine significant predictors of fear of cancer recurrence. RESULTS: Men receiving XRT were older and had worse clinical disease characteristics than patients treated with RP or BT. For all groups fear of cancer recurrence was more severe before treatment and improved after treatment but did not change substantially in the 2 years thereafter. Regression revealed that only general health and mental health were important predictors of fear of cancer recurrence. No other general or disease specific health related quality of life domains or clinical characteristics contributed appreciable explanatory power. CONCLUSIONS: Fear of prostate cancer recurrence imposes a substantial burden in patients before and after treatment. Understanding the fear of cancer recurrence associated with different treatments can help physicians better counsel patients and promote psychological well-being.

Adaptation, Psychological↗