Factors that influence treatment choices among patients diagnosed with prostate cancer
| Date |
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2012-09-14 |
The conference was held alternately in Graz, Berlin and Maastricht.
Introduction. Based on the analysis of literature, it is possible to maintain that 50% of patients choose prostatectomy and the remaining half of patients decide on radiation therapy as a treatment option. The survival rate is also the same. Little is known about factors which influence the choice of treatment. Aim of the study. To assess factors that influence the prostate cancer patients' choice of treatment. Methods. During the visit at the urologist, patients were divided into two groups - patients, with chose surgical treatment and patients, who chose radiation treatment. During ... first questionning patient's quality of life, reasons for choosing the treatment we... assessed, and EPIC (Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite) questionna... was completed. The second time questioning was repeated after 6 and 12 month. Participants of the study include 139 patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer. Differnt treatment methods were employed with respect to participants the study: surgery 95 (68.3%) and brachytherapy 44 (31,7%). Results. The study data reveals that patients diagnosed with prostate cancer are the least concerned with post-surgery complication such as urinary incontinence and for this reason they more frequently choose radical prostatectomy. Results of this study show that most frequently patients follow the urologist's advice on treatment choices. Oncologists and other patients are ranked as the second source in selecting treatment options. Advice provided by family doctors and urologists significantly influences the choice of surgery (P<0.05) over brachytherapy.