title: Long-term quality of life after radical prostatectomy: 8-year longitudinal study in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess long-term health-related quality of life in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 120 patients with at least 5 years of follow up after radical prostatectomy were included in the present study. Health-related quality of life outcomes were assessed using three questionnaires, the Short Form 36-Item Health Survey, the University of California, Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index and the International Prostate Symptom Score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 91 patients (73%) responded at a median follow-up time of 102 months (range 85-123 months). Among general health-related quality of life domains, mental and role composite summary score remained stable throughout the follow-up period. At the final survey, no significant differences were observed in any of the domains compared with the age-matched average score of the Japanese population. Although the slight decrease in urinary function scores and International Prostate Symptom Score beyond 5 years postoperatively compared with 5 years, the differences were not significant. The sexual function summary score showed a substantially lower score just after radical prostatectomy and remained at a deteriorated level (P < 0.001). Responders at the final survey were more likely to report favorable general, urinary and sexual outcomes at 60 months compared with non-responders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When taking age-related changes into account, general health-related quality of life seems to remain stable in the long term after radical prostatectomy: patients with favorable health-related quality of life outcomes during the first 5 years after radical prostatectomy maintain favorable outcomes thereafter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Namiki
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaiho
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mitsuzuka
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arai
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: prostate cancer; quality of life; questionnaires; radical prostatectomy