Life after radical prostatectomy: A longitudinal study

Purpose: We investigate the longitudinal recovery of quality of life after radical prostatectomy in men with localized prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: We assessed the self-reported health related quality of life in 247 men undergoing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. P atients were assessed at baseline before surgery and postoperatively every 3 months for 1 year and then every 6 months for up to 48 months (median 30) . We measured general and prostate specific health related quality of life with the RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0 SF-36 and University of California, Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to determine whether some patients were more likely than ot hers to have a successful return to baseline functioning after treatment. Results: In the SF-36 60% of patients reached baseline in all domains by 3 months. By 12 months, greater than 90% of patients reached baseline in all domains. Mean recovery time for these domains was about 4(1)/(2) months. Th e recovery of urinary function to baseline was 21% at 3, 56% at 12 and 63% at 30 months, respectively. About 80% of patients recovered to baseline uri nary bother. In the urinary domains patients who recovered did so at an ave rage of 7 to 8 months, and there was little additional recovery after 18 mo nths. By 1 year postoperatively, approximately a third of patients reached baseline sexual function and about half recovered to baseline sexual bother . At 2 years postoperatively, sexual function and bother returned to baseli ne in 40% and 60% of patients, respectively. Mean recovery time was about 1 1 months for sexual function and about 9 months for sexual bother. There wa s little additional recovery in the sexual domains after 18 to 24 months. I n the bowel domains more than two thirds of patients returned to baseline b y 3 months, and greater than 90% recovered by 12 months with a mean recover y of 4.8 months. Unmarried men were more likely than those married to regai n baseline sexual function (p = 0.03) and urinary function (p = 0.07). Pati ents who were 65 years and older were more likely than those younger to ret urn to baseline sexual bother (p = 0.03). There were trends that showed pat ients with higher incomes as well as those who were white were more likely to recover baseline scores for urinary function and the physical component summary. Another trend suggested that men with a higher education were less likely to regain urinary function (p = 0.08). Conclusions: Most quality of life recovery occurs early after radical prost atectomy, except in several domains, including urinary and sexual, which co ntinue to improve even beyond 2 years postoperatively. Patients should be e ncouraged that recovery may continue for months or years after surgery.