The Impact of Prostate Cancer Treatment-Related Symptoms on Low-Income Latino Couples

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer among men in the United States. Even when prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated early, there are a number of side effects that can have an impact on a man's quality of life, including erectile dysfunction, incontinence, and a diminished desire for sexual relations. Because of these treatment side effects, prostate cancer is often considered a couples' disease. The purpose of this study is to describe the impact of prostate cancer treatment-related symptoms on low-income couples in which the man has undergone a radical prostatectomy. The authors will investigate the impact of prostate cancer treatment-related symptoms on low-income Latino, African-American, and Caucasian couples at 3 different time points after the man's prostate cancer surgery. They will interview couples who participate in the study at 6-12 months, 14-24 months, and 24-36 months after the man's surgery. Each time, the man and his partner will be interviewed separately and then together by a male interviewer for the men and a female interviewer for the women. The men will be asked to complete one questionnaire that asks about urinary, bowel, sexual, and hormonal symptoms, and a second questionnaire that asks about his relationship with his partner. The partner will be asked to complete the same relationship questionnaire. Couples will be interviewed by telephone. Analysis of this data will allow the authors to identify the types of interventions that are needed and would be acceptable to these couples. Information from this study will be critical to the development of interventions that are specific to the culture and needs of low-income couples who are managing the symptoms of prostate cancer treatment.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA506380

Entities

People

  • Sally L. Maliski

Organizations

  • University of California, Los Angeles

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • African Americans
  • Biomedical Research
  • Caucasians
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Dysfunction
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Human Population
  • Intervention
  • Minority Groups
  • Neoplasms
  • Prostate
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Quality Of Life
  • Sociology
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Materials Science and Engineering.
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