THURSDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- Comorbidities can adversely affect the health-related quality of life of prostate cancer patients both before and after radical prostatectomy, however men with comorbid conditions may not experience as great a decline in sexual and urinary function as men without comorbidities, according to a study in the March issue of Urology. Preoperative counseling should take into account a patient's comorbid conditions, the authors say.
Eric P. Elkin, M.P.H., from the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, and the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) investigators measured the health-related quality of life in 856 prostate cancer patients before and up to two years after surgery. CaPSURE is a longitudinal disease registry that includes over 3,000 patients with biopsy-proven adenocarcinoma.
Man with comorbidities -- including gastrointestinal disease, heart disease, hypertension and other urinary conditions -- had lower health-related quality-of-life scores both before and after surgery. However, the rate of decline in quality of life was similar between men with and without comorbidities. Additionally, the decline in sexual function and physical component scores was greater in men without comorbidities.
"During preoperative counseling, clinicians should consider the number and type of a patient's comorbidities," the authors conclude. "Men without comorbidities should be told that their sexual function is more likely to decrease."
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