title: Prostate cancer - peculiarities of the process of adaptation to the disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Psycho-social adaptation to the diagnosis of cancer is a dynamic process, different from one patient to another, depending on many factors (location, stage, treatment, personality of each individual, environment - family, professional background, social-economic-cultural status). The aim of this study is to analyze the process of adaptation of patients with prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty six patients diagnosed with prostate cancer, admitted in the Department of Oncology, Palliative Care for Chronic Patients within Chronic Disease Hospital "St. Luke" from Bucharest, Romania, over a period of six months, answered the Illness Cognition Questionnaire (ICQ), in order to assess adaptation to the disease (helplessness, acceptance, perceived benefits).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results of the study showed that feelings of helplessness were expressed at a high level in 22.2% patients, medium level in 55.6% cases and low level 22.2%. The feelings of acceptance were the following: 61.1% of patients had a high level, 33.3% of them a medium level, while only 5.6% had a low level of acceptance. Regarding perceived benefits due to the disease, the following results have been obtained: 22.2% had a high level, 77.8% a medium level and no patient reported low level benefit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study indicate that patients diagnosed with prostate cancer adapt well to the disease, accept it and even obtain benefits from it.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Emergency Clinical Hospital Bagdasar-Arseni, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Valentin Titus
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Grigorean
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Palliative Care for Chronic Patients, Chronic Disease Hospital "St. Luke", Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Gabriela Rahnea
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Nita
authors.affiliation: Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Roxana Andreea Rahnea
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Nita
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Arges County Hospital, Pitesti, Romania.
authors.forename: Mihai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Popescu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Emergency Clinical Hospital Bagdasar-Arseni, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Aurelia Mihaela
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sandu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, University Hospital "St. Spiridon", Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iassy, Romania.
authors.forename: Cristian Dumitru
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Lupascu
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Palliative Care for Chronic Patients, Chronic Disease Hospital "St. Luke", Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Anda-Natalia
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Ciuhu
keywords: Illness Cognition Questionnaire (ICQ); acceptance; benefits; helplessness; prostate cancer