title: Health-related quality of life of prostate cancer patients compared to the general German population: age-specific results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to examine the age-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of prostate cancer patients (PCPs).
  
  
  METHODS
  387 PCPs were asked to self-assess their HRQOL with the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Patients' data were compared with those of the general German population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The reported global health/QOL scores of the study group and the general German population are nearly equal. However, most of the subdomains of HRQOL are negatively affected in PCPs, especially in younger patients (<or=59 years).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medical professionals should pay more attention to the emotional burden of PCPs, because their stress and strains during the time before treatment have a rather more emotional than physical character.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. Markus.Zenger@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zenger
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hinz
authors.forename: Jens-Uwe
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Stolzenburg
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rabenalt
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schwalenberg
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwarz
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires