Search Here

Men suffering from prostate cancer may one day be able to predict when and how much various treatments will affect their urinary and sexual functioning, according to a new research. 

The research took more than 17,000 surveys into consideration that were completed by men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Researchers then tracked when patients' urinary and sexual symptoms changed following each type of treatment and by how much. 

"The ultimate goal, is to develop a predictive tool that lets patients decide which treatment is right for them based on the symptoms they have beforehand, and their tolerance for any change - even temporary - in those symptoms," said study author Matthew Johnson, MD, Resident Physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Fox Chase, in the press release. 

Prostate cancer patients have multiple treatment options but each procedure carries risk, particularly to men's urinary and sexual functioning. 

Researchers evaluated 14,523 surveys by total 3,515 men and noted that after half of the men were followed for at least 28 months, LDR was associated with a temporary increase in problems, particularly within the first three months; this fell over time, and eventually returned to its baseline levels. 

Interestingly, in the rare case where men emerged from surgery with good sexual functioning and required post-operative radiation, these men tended to maintain sexual functioning even with the addition of radiation, Dr. Johnson added. "This was a surprise, since radiation is known to cause sexual problems in men who don't undergo surgery," he noted.

The research was carried out by Fox Chase Cancer Center.