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Long-term quality of life among Dutch prostate cancer survivors
Results of a population-based study
Article first published online: 29 SEP 2006
Copyright © 2006 American Cancer Society
Volume 107, Issue 9, pages 2186–2196, 1 November 2006
How to Cite
Mols, F., van de Poll-Franse, L. V., Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M., Hendrikx, A., Aaronson, N. K., Houterman, S., Coebergh, J. W. W. and Essink-Bot, M. L. (2006), Long-term quality of life among Dutch prostate cancer survivors. Cancer, 107: 2186–2196. doi: 10.1002/cncr.22231
- Issue published online: 24 OCT 2006
- Article first published online: 29 SEP 2006
- Manuscript Revised: 31 JUL 2006
- Manuscript Accepted: 31 JUL 2006
- Manuscript Received: 19 APR 2006
- prostate cancer;
- long-term survivors;
- quality of life;
- Quality of Life-Cancer Survivors questionnaire;
- Short Form Health Survey
In this report, the authors describe the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of long-term prostate cancer survivors 5 to 10 years after diagnosis and compare it with the HRQL of an age-matched, normative sample of the general Dutch population.
The population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry was used to select all men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer from 1994 to 1998. Nine hundred sixty-four patients received questionnaires (the 36-item Short Form Health Survey [SF-36] and the Quality of Life-Cancer Survivors questionnaire), and 780 of 964 patients responded (81%).
Unselected, long-term prostate cancer survivors reported comparable HRQL scores but worse General Health Perceptions and better Mental Health scores than an age-matched, normative population. Patients who underwent radical prostatectomy had the highest physical HRQL, followed by patients who received ‘watchful waiting,’ and patients who received radiotherapy. Patients who received hormone treatment, in general, had the lowest physical HRQL.
The results of this study suggested that the long-term HRQL of prostate cancer survivors may vary significantly as a function of the type of primary treatment. Because baseline differences between treatment groups cannot be excluded as part of the explanation for these differences, the current findings need to be verified in longitudinal studies. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.