Partnership status influences quality of life in low-income, uninsured men with prostate cancer.
BACKGROUND
Being partnered confers significant benefits in survival for patients with prostate cancer, yet little is known of the impact of relationship status on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The authors evaluated the influence of partnership on measures of HRQOL.


METHODS
The authors studied 291 patients who were enrolled in a program that provided free treatment to impoverished, uninsured men with prostate cancer. The associations between relationship status and measures of general and disease-specific HRQOL were evaluated. Results from multivariate models determined the independent effect of partnership on HRQOL.


RESULTS
Partnered patients were more likely than unpartnered patients to be Hispanic (58% vs. 34%) and were more likely to have elected surgical therapy (49% vs. 34%). Multivariate analyses, controlling for age, ethnicity, disease stage, and treatment type, revealed that partnered patients had better mental health (P = 0.009), less urinary bother (P = 0.011), higher spirituality (P = 0.037), and lower symptom distress (P = 0.005) than unpartnered participants.


CONCLUSIONS
Relationship status had a positive effect on the quality of life of low-income, uninsured men with prostate cancer.
Gore
John L
JL
Department of Urology, David Geffen School of Medicine, School of Public Health, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Krupski
Tracey
T
Kwan
Lorna
L
Maliski
Sally
S
Litwin
Mark S
MS
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D012931:Social Environment