Prostate Cancer and ED
Published on Oct 12, 2011
It’s possible to predict erectile function after treatment for early-stage prostate cancer, according to a study published in the September 21, 2011 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
A national sample of about 2,600 men participated in the study. The men were given validated quality of life questionnaires to determine a baseline level of sexual functioning before prostate cancer treatment. After treatment, the men were followed for another two years.
Treatment methods were prostatectomy (removal of the prostate gland), external radiation therapy, and brachytherapy (which involves placing “seeds” of radiation inside the body to kill cancer cells).
Several factors helped predict erectile function after treatment, including the man’s age, the severity of his cancer (measured by prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in the blood), and the kind of treatment used.
However, the researchers discovered that a man’s baseline sexual quality-of-life score on the questionnaire was especially helpful in predicting an outcome.
“Men who might be younger having excellent functioning before treatment might expect a 70 percent or higher prospect for recovering their sexual functioning, whereas men who might have some erectile dysfunction to begin with or have more severe cancers may be looking at perhaps 20 or 30 percent or less prospects for recovery,” Dr. Martin Sanda, co-author of the study, told The JAMA Report.
Dr. Sanda is Director of the Prostate Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Urology at Harvard Medical School.
Studies on improvements in radiation therapy and robotic surgery for prostate cancer may provide additional insights.
More accurate predictions on post-treatment outcomes can help men and their partners prepare for any sexual issues that might occur. Men may be more open to trying treatments for erectile dysfunction, including medications, implants, or vacuum devices.
“I think our study highlights that issues related to sexuality can be brought on the table, patients can be informed as to what they can expect and it doesn’t have to be a black box of uncertainty as to what will happen moving forward,” Dr. Sanda said in The JAMA Report.
For more: Erectile Dysfunction, Prostate Cancer
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