Psychosocial and Patient Education Needs of Prostate Cancers Selecting Watchful Waiting
Abstract
While watchful waiting is an accepted disease management strategy for localized prostate cancer, there is little information available on the impact of the disease and the expectant management on men s well-being. The few studies that have focused on these issues suggest that anxiety about untreated cancer and urologic and sexual impacts of the disease are important considerations in the selection of this approach to disease management. We have gathered data from prostate cancer patients selecting watchful waiting in lieu of an active treatment for their cancer in order to understand the psychosocial and symptom management burden that these men face. Our work builds on previous research on men selecting watchful waiting using a combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques to identify areas where patient education programs could be developed for these men to improve their quality of life. We have examined the psychological and interpersonal impact of prostate cancer in a semi-structured qualitative interview; assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of 50 men with prostate cancer using the CaPSURE baseline data collection instrument; and compare the study respondents HRQoL to the HRQoL of men in the CaPSURE database.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA548695
Entities
People
- David Latini
- Sara J. Knight
Organizations
- University of California, San Francisco