A UK-wide survey suggests prostate cancer survivors in Scotland and Northern Ireland have poorer quality of life (QoL) than those in England.
The research, published in European Urology, found QoL among prostate cancer survivors varies across the UK, with poorer outcomes reported by men in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (NI) than by men in England.
Responses from 35,823 prostate cancer survivors showed self-assessed health was significantly lower than the UK average in Wales and Scotland.
Respondents reported more urinary incontinence in Scotland, more urinary irritation/obstruction in Scotland and NI, poorer bowel function in Scotland and NI, worse sexual function in Scotland, and reduced vitality/hormonal function in Scotland, Wales, and NI.
Regional variation was also demonstrated within England. Self-assessed health was poorer than the English average in South Yorkshire and North-East and Cumbria, with more urinary incontinence in North-East and Cumbria and Peninsula, greater sexual problems in West Midlands, and poorer vitality in the North-East and Cumbria and the West Midlands.
The authors said the findings, “highlight the need for further investigation to identify components of care pathways that predispose to good or poor outcomes, particularly with regard to bowel problems and vitality, where clinically relevant differences were reported.”
Action is required to ensure that outcomes are monitored and, where possible, improved so that the increasing number of men living with and beyond a diagnosis of prostate cancer are offered the best chance of achieving optimal quality of survival,” they concluded.
