Link Between Sexual Motivation And Patterns Of Erectile Dysfunction Therapy Among Long-Term Prostate Cancer Treatment Survivors

The prevalence and outcome of ED therapy among long-term prostate cancer (CaP) survivors is reported by Dr. Miller and colleagues at the University of Michigan in the July 2006 issue of Urology.

A cohort of 896 men was studied. Of these, 665 had undergone radical prostatectomy (RP), 147 had conformal radiotherapy (RT), 84 had brachytherapy (BT) and 112 men were controls without CaP. Patients completed surveys and the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite to measure sexual HRQOL.

The overall response rate to the survey was 72.5%. Of the RP treated men, bilateral nerve sparing was performed in 66%. Patients treated with RT were on average 8 years older than the RP cohort. Hormonal therapy was used twice as commonly in the BT patients compared to RP or RT patients. More than 80% of patients were married or involved in a relationship.

CaP patients used ED therapy more often than did controls (30% vs. 13%). Overall, 61% had used at least one ED treatment, but over 50% of RT and BT men reported never receiving treatment of ED compared with 30% of RP patients. RP patients were more likely to be using ED therapy (38%) compared to RT men (17%) and BT patients (19%). Interestingly, sexual bother was rated as small to none in 38% of BT, 51% of RP and 57% of RT patients who concurrently reported poor quality or no erections. In fact, CaP patients who had adequate erections for unaided intercourse still reported greater use of ED therapy. More favorable sexual function was found associated with marital status, household income and use of at least one ED medication therapy.

By Christopher P. Evans, M.D.

Urology Volume 68, Issue 1 , July 2006, Pages 166-171
Link Here.
David C. Miller,, John T. Wei, Rodney L. Dunn, James E. Montie, Hector Pimentel, Howard M. Sandler, P. William McLaughlin and Martin G. Sanda

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