Trajectories of Quality of Life, Life Satisfaction and Psychological Adjustment after Prostate Cancer

To describe trajectories of health-related quality of life, life satisfaction and psychological adjustment for men with prostate cancer over the medium-long term and identify predictors of poorer outcomes using growth mixture models.

1064 (82.4% response) men diagnosed with prostate cancer were recruited close to diagnosis and assessed over a 72 month (six-year) period with self-report assessment of health-related quality of life; life satisfaction; cancer-related distress, and PSA anxiety. Urinary, bowel and sexual function were also assessed using validated questionnaires.

Poorer physical QOL was predicted by older age, lower education, lower income, comorbidities, receiving hormone therapy. Lower life satisfaction was related to younger age, lower income, not being partnered, comorbidities. Poorer psychological trajectories were predicted by younger age, lower income, comorbidities, receiving radical prostatectomy or brachytherapy. Better urinary, bowel and sexual function were related to better global outcomes over time. Anxiety about PSA testing was rare.

Distinct trajectories exist for medium to long term quality of life, life satisfaction and psychological adjustment after prostate cancer; with age and socioeconomic deprivation playing a differential role in men's survivorship profile and the impact of functional status on outcomes increasing over time. These results reinforce the need for an appraisal of men's life course in addition to treatment side effects when planning survivorship care after cancer.

Psycho-oncology. 2016 Dec 10 [Epub ahead of print]

Suzanne K Chambers, Shu Kay Ng, Peter Baade, Joanne Aitken, Melissa K Hyde, Gary Wittert, Mark Frydenberg, Jeff Dunn

Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia., Cancer Council Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia., Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia., Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.