title: Health-related quality of life after adjuvant and salvage postoperative radiotherapy for prostate cancer - a prospective analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to analyze health-related quality of life changes after postoperative radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group of 101 patients has been surveyed prospectively before (time A), at the last day (B), two months after (C) and >1 year after (D) RT using a validated questionnaire (Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite) with urinary, bowel, sexual and hormonal domains. The prostatic fossa was treated with a four-field box technique up to a total dose of 66.6 Gy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While median urinary scores reached baseline levels already two months after radiotherapy (function/bother scores at time A-B-C-D: 94/89-89/75-94/89-94/89; A vs. B: p<0.01), bowel problems needed a longer time to recover (function/bother scores at time A-B-C-D: 96/100-85/89-88/93-96/100; A vs. B/C: p<0.01). Greater bladder volumes inside specific isodoses were associated with temporary significantly lower urinary bother scores and chronically lower urinary incontinence scores. Only 7% of patients reported of erections firm enough for intercourse before RT, so that RT-associated sexual toxicity played a minor role.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In contrast to bowel symptoms, acute urinary problems recover very soon after the end of postoperative RT. After >1 year, only minor HRQOL changes occurred in comparison to baseline scores.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. MPinkawa@ukaachen.de
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pinkawa
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fischedick
authors.forename: Branka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Asadpour
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gagel
authors.forename: Marc D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Piroth
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holy
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Krenkel
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Eble
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D011788:Quality of Life; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome