Prostate cancer treatments reduce quality of life

In the EUPROMS 2.0 study, all therapies for patients with prostate cancer, other than active surveillance, were associated with a reduced quality of life. Therefore, active surveillance should be the first treatment option if it is applicable, argued the authors [1].

The EUPROMS 2.0 study measured the effect of prostate cancer treatments on quality of life through a 20-minute online survey, including 4 QoL questionnaires: EQ-5D-5L, EORTC-QLQ-C30, EPIC-26, and SDM-Q-9. Mainly, the study aimed to confirm and complement the results of the EUPROMS 1.0 study, which showed that prostate cancer treatments, except active surveillance, are related to a decreased quality of life. Mr André Deschamps (Europa Uomo, Belgium) presented the findings of the study, which reported on a total of 3,571 patients who completed the online survey.

In general, the results of EUPROMS 1.0 were confirmed. Prostate cancer therapies were associated with a reduced quality of life. An issue that was unresolved with the EUPROMS 1.0 study was the potential influence of comorbidities on quality of life. The current study demonstrated that high blood pressure was the only common comorbidity among patients (26.7%) and that 55.2% of the patients had no comorbidities, suggesting that the influence of comorbidities on quality of life is limited. EUPROMS 2.0 also showed that shared-decision making is fairly well integrated in clinical practice, with a median score of 34 out of 45 on the SDM-Q-9 questionnaire.

Additionally, EPIC incontinence scores were similar to those of the EUPROMS 1.0, with lower scores for radical prostatectomy (71), and higher scores for radiotherapy (94) and chemotherapy (94). No difference between treatment type and EPIC sexual score was displayed, with similar reductions for all therapies, except for active surveillance.

Mr Deschamps concluded that all therapies besides active surveillance reduced the quality of life of patients with prostate cancer, confirming the results of EUPROMS 1.0. “Active surveillance should be the first treatment if it can be applied safely, and healthcare professionals should use the results of EUPROMS 2.0 to discuss treatment options for their patients.”

1. Deschamps A, et al. The real effect of prostate cancer treatment: EUPROMS 2.0 study patient-driven quality of life study follow-up in order to answer questions following EUPROMS 1.0. Game-changing session 2, EAU 2022, 01–04 July.

 

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Posted on 22 July, 2022