Treatment of erectile dysfunction following therapy for clinically localized prostate cancer: patient reported use and outcomes from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study.
OBJECTIVE
Erectile dysfunction (ED) persists for years following curative therapies for clinically localized prostate cancer. We report use and treatment outcomes in a 5-year interval in a population based cohort from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study.


METHODS
A sample of 1,977 men with localized prostate cancer who received external beam radiation therapy or radical prostatectomy in 1994 to 1995 were surveyed for 5 outcome measures of ED treatment, namely treatment, perceived helpfulness, erectile sufficiency, sexual activity frequency and erection maintenance. Subjects were surveyed 6, 12, 24 and 60 months after prostate cancer diagnosis.


RESULTS
Overall 50.5% of men ever used ED treatment. The use of ED treatments increased during the study course. Subject age, regular sexual partner and baseline sexual activity were factors positively associated with ED treatments. While it was used uncommonly (1.9%), a penile prosthesis was perceived as the most helpful ED treatment (helped a lot in 52% of respondents). Sildenafil helped a lot in 12% of respondents. Erectile fullness, erection maintenance and sexual activity frequency were modestly improved in men using ED treatment compared with those in men not using ED treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Approximately half of the patients in this population based cohort of men used ED treatment during the 5 years following prostate cancer diagnosis. Men using ED treatments had modest improvement in sexual function compared with men that in who did not receive ED treatment at 60 months. More effective treatments for ED following local therapy for prostate cancer are needed.
Stephenson
Robert A
RA
From the Division of Urology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 8411132, USA. robert.stephenson@hsc.utah.edu
Mori
Motomi
M
Hsieh
Yi-Ching
YC
Beer
Tomasz M
TM
Stanford
Janet L
JL
Gilliland
Frank D
FD
Hoffman
Richard M
RM
Potosky
Arnold L
AL
D015106:3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D019935:Penile Implantation; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D011687:Purines; D018426:SEER Program; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D013450:Sulfones
D010879:Piperazines; D011687:Purines; D013450:Sulfones; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D015106:3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases