Neoadjuvant hormonal therapy impairs sexual outcome among younger men who undergo external beam radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of treatment factors and other covariates on sexual health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer. The effects of clinical and treatment factors on sexual health after external beam RT have not been fully characterized by patient-reported, validated questionnaires.


METHODS
A total of 259 subjects (147 patients who had undergone RT for prostate cancer and 112 age-matched controls) participated in a cross-sectional assessment of HRQOL using the validated expanded prostate cancer index to measure patient-reported sexual function and bother. Multivariable models were used to determine the association of 13 prospectively measured clinical and treatment factors with post-RT sexual HRQOL.


RESULTS
Increasing age, time since RT, and use of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (NHT) were independently associated with sexual function (P <0.01) after RT. The effects of NHT on sexual HRQOL were most notable among the youngest (younger than 67 years) patients and among those closest to treatment. These effects may be conceptualized by examining the distribution of responses to individual Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite questions. For example, among the youngest patients, those treated with NHT were less than half as likely to report a fair ability to have erections compared with hormone-naive men.


CONCLUSIONS
These patient-reported data, elicited using a validated HRQOL instrument, indicate that older age and NHT significantly and independently hinder post-RT sexual HRQOL outcome among men with localized prostate cancer and provide a framework for counseling patients regarding long-term sexual outcome on the basis of treatment plan and age.
Hollenbeck
Brent K
BK
Department of Urology, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Wei
John T
JT
Sanda
Martin G
MG
Dunn
Rodney L
RL
Sandler
Howard M
HM
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009948:Orgasm / Q000187:drug effects*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000139:chemically induced*