title: Long-term quality of life among Dutch prostate cancer survivors: results of a population-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this report, the authors describe the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of long-term prostate cancer survivors 5 to 10 years after diagnosis and compare it with the HRQL of an age-matched, normative sample of the general Dutch population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry was used to select all men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer from 1994 to 1998. Nine hundred sixty-four patients received questionnaires (the 36-item Short Form Health Survey [SF-36] and the Quality of Life-Cancer Survivors questionnaire), and 780 of 964 patients responded (81%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Unselected, long-term prostate cancer survivors reported comparable HRQL scores but worse General Health Perceptions and better Mental Health scores than an age-matched, normative population. Patients who underwent radical prostatectomy had the highest physical HRQL, followed by patients who received 'watchful waiting,' and patients who received radiotherapy. Patients who received hormone treatment, in general, had the lowest physical HRQL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study suggested that the long-term HRQL of prostate cancer survivors may vary significantly as a function of the type of primary treatment. Because baseline differences between treatment groups cannot be excluded as part of the explanation for these differences, the current findings need to be verified in longitudinal studies.
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Cancer Center South, Eindhoven Cancer Registry, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. research@ikz.nl
authors.forename: Floortje
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mols
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: van de Poll-Franse
authors.forename: A J J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Vingerhoets
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hendrikx
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Aaronson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Houterman
authors.forename: J W W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Coebergh
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Essink-Bot
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012042:Registries; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013995:Time