Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Anxiety in Patients Under Active Surveillance for Localized Prostate Cancer and Their Partners.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related death among men in France.

Active surveillance is one of the management options for low-risk prostate cancer. Its aim is to delay or avoid radical treatment, such as surgery or radiotherapy, which can cause side effects including urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, or radiation-induced cystitis. Active surveillance involves regular monitoring of potential tumor progression through serum PSA testing, MRI scans, and prostate biopsies.

Few studies have investigated the psychological adjustment of patients undergoing active surveillance for prostate cancer, and even fewer have explored the relationship between the patients' anxiety symptoms and those of their partners. To our knowledge, no study has yet quantitatively or qualitatively assessed the anxiety of both patients and their partners. It appears essential to better characterize the anxiety symptoms in these individuals in order to offer them appropriate psychological support.