Prevalence of Neglected Side Effects to Radical Prostatectomy

Approximately 1 out of 6 men will, at some point of their life become diagnosed with prostate cancer. Treatment options included medication therapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. This data collection aims to gather information on some of the lesser known distresses experienced by patients following surgical removal of the prostate gland.

Erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence remain common, but thoroughly investigated side effects. Thus they will not be of primary interest here, but considered factors for correlation. During the last couple of years, a series of lesser known side effects have come to investigators attention. These include altered perception of orgasm, orgasm related pain, sexual-related urinary incontinence, and shortening -and impairing deviations of the penis. Few studies have investigated these side effects, and clear knowledge of why, and how often these problems arise, remain scarce. This study will contribute to that knowledge.

In addition, the questionnaire will include a series of exploratory questions, concerning lower urinary tract infections, treatment satisfaction, alcohol and urinary incontinence, reasons for abandoning treatment for erectile dysfunction, and an assessment of libido prior to and after radical prostatectomy.

The data collection will include approximately 400 patients from the department of urology at the University Hospital in Herlev, Copenhagen, Denmark. A questionnaire will be sent to patients together with a stamped addressed envelope in order to optimize the response rate. Results will be kept in a separate database from personal information.