Prostate cancer patients heading into treatment for their disease (surgery, radiation, tumor ablation such as cryotherapy, HIFU or laser) realize that all treatments carry some risk of side effects, however small. The most common side effects, erectile dysfunction (ED) and incontinence, may be permanent or temporary, if they occur at all.
Two recently published studies examine the patient's inner world. One looks at what patients expect their lives will be like a year after treatment; the other examines what actually happens to their quality of life.
The first report covers 152 men who had received pre-prostatectomy counseling regarding possible surgery side effects including sexual, urinary and bowel function. Of the patients, 36% expected to return to baseline urinary function a year after surgery, and 40% expected to return to baseline sexual function. To the surprise of the investigators, despite counseling 17% of men actually expected better than baseline sexual function one year later. In fact, according to the patients' questionnaires, 44% attained lower urinary function than expected, while 44% achieved lower sexual function than expected. The authors concluded, "Men have unrealistic expectations of urinary and sexual function after prostatectomy despite preoperative counseling. We hypothesize potentially responsible psychological mechanisms." i
The second article reported the results when 236 men were asked how they were doing a year after surgery. Roughly 75% had recovered their urinary function and sense of mental wellbeing. However, only 26% had regained potency. The authors, a team from Germany, also examined circumstances that led to bettery recovery of erectile function. It appears that patients who participated in some form of penile rehabilitation, especially if they had nerve-sparing surgery, did better than those who did notii.
Firma Medical recognizes the importance of using the Firma VED® as part of recovering erectile function following treatment for prostate cancer. The VED can be used alone or in conjunction with medication. If you are planning on treatment for prostate cancer, or have recently undergone treatment, consult your physician if you are concerned about ED as a side effect of treatment. If you are not a prostate cancer patient, but are experiencing ED, speak to a urologist about treatment options.
ii Treier, A et al. A single center prospective study: prediction of postoperative general quality of life, potency and continence after radical retropubic prostatectomy. J Urology 185:5 (May 2011) 1681-85.
