Self-reported functional assessment after treatment for prostate cancer: 5-year results of the prospective cohort VICAN

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to assess the long-term association of therapeutic strategies with urinary, sexual function and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) for 5-year prostate cancer (PC) survivors. Materials & methods: The VICAN survey consisted of self-reported data prospectively collected, including living conditions, treatment side effects and quality of life (QoL) of cancer survivors. Results: Among the 434 PC survivors, 52.8% reported urinary incontinence (UI) and 55.8% reported erectile dysfunction (ED). Patients treated with radical prostatectomy with salvage radiotherapy reported significantly more UI (p = 0.014) and more ED (p = 0.012) compared with other strategies. UI was significantly associated with physical and mental health-related QoL (p = 0.045 and p = 0.049, respectively). Conclusion: Self-assessed functional outcomes 5 years after PC diagnosis remain poor and could have an impact on health-related QoL.