Quality of life and sexuality of men with prostate cancer 3 years after cryosurgery

The current study was designed to describe the long-term life quality and sexuality of men enrolled in a phase 2 clinical trial of cryosurgery for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. A total of 75 men were administered the Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Prostate (FACT-P) before treatment and after treatment at 6 weeks, and at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. Additionally, these men completed a Sexuality Follow-Up Questionnaire (SFQ) 3 years after cryosurgery. By 12 months after cryosurgery, most FACT-P subscales had returned to pretreatment levels. Quality of life remained stable over the subsequent 2 years. The only exception to this general trend was persistent impairment in measures of social/family well-being. At 36 months, 13 % (5 of 38) of patients had regained erectile functioning, and an additional 34% (13 of 38) of patients were sexually active with the help of aids. The 3-year quality-of-life outcomes support the renewed interest in cryosurgery. No late complications were observed. Whereas improvements in erectile function were observed between years 1 and 3 for some patients, most continue to experience erectile dysfunction. For these patients, aids are an important adjunct to the treatment of their erectile dysfunction.