title: Systematic review of research into the psychological aspects of prostate cancer in Asia: what do we know?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To review the peer reviewed literature on the psychological aspects of the prostate cancer experience of men in Asia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medline and PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest, and Web of Science (1999 - November Week 4, 2012) were searched. Inclusion criteria were: included men with prostate cancer and/or their partners or caregivers who identify as Asian recruited in an Asian country; and assessed health-related quality of life, psychological and social adjustment relating to prostate cancer and published in English after 1st January 1999 and prior to 30th November, 2012. Study aims; design; quality; level of evidence, and key results were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  43 articles met all inclusion criteria and were retained for initial review. Of these most focussed on health-related QOL with only five evidence Level IV studies from Japan and Taiwan including a specific psychological focus. Of these, one was a cross-sectional case control study; three were cross- sectional descriptive quantitative designs; one was a cross-sectional descriptive qualitative study. From the data available, a substantive sub group of men with prostate cancer (approximately one third) in these countries experience clinically high psychological distress and decision regret.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Research on the psychological needs of men with the increasingly prevalent condition of prostate cancer in Asian countries is scant with only a small number of low level evidence descriptive studies identified. Future research to underpin the development and evaluation of effective and culturally relevant psychological and supportive care interventions for such men is urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. suzanne.chambers@griffith.edu.au
authors.forename: Suzanne Kathleen
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.forename: Melissa Karen
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Hyde
authors.forename: David Fu-Keung
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Ip
authors.forename: Jeffrey Charles
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Robert Alexander
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Gardiner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human