title: Penile length shortening after radical prostatectomy: men's responses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common type of male-specific cancer in North American men, and many men choose radical prostatectomy (RP) to remove their cancer. Although penile length shortening (PLS) occurs in a reported 68% to 71% of men undergoing RP, little is known about it. In an electronic journal search, only 9 medical articles (with no nursing publications) were published between 1980 and 2007.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To provide an account of patients' perceptions and responses to living with PLS after RP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured interviews and a grounded theory approach were used to discover the basic social processes regarding men's perceptions of a shortened penis and overall sense of self. A total of six men who underwent RP and consequently noticed PLS were recruited from a local PC support group for semi-structured interviews lasting between 40-60 min.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on subjects' own definitions of masculinity, no significant changes in the constructs of masculinity and overall self-image perception were reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Men undergoing RP may not be fully aware that PLS is a possible consequence related to treatment. In spite of this, subjects were not negatively affected by its occurrence.
authors.affiliation: wellamyuko@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Wellam F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Yu Ko
authors.forename: Lesley F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Degner
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Hack
authors.forename: Garry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schroeder
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001828:Body Image; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010413:Penis / Q000473:pathology*; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D012944:Social Support