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Late side effects unchanged 4-8 years after radiotherapy for prostate carcinoma: a comparison with age-matched
1Department of Oncology, Umeå University, Sweden.
Background:
The authors of this study previously evaluated pelvic irradiation-induced late side effects in patients with localized prostatic carcinoma 4 years after external irradiation by administering a validated self-assessment questionnaire (QUFW94), and compared the results with those of age-matched controls. The current study was designed to evaluate prospectively the patients' problems 8 years after radiotherapy and to compare them with those reported by the same controls.
Methods:
The questionnaire was sent out at a mean of 8 years (range, 72-104 months) after irradiation to 120 patients and 125 controls. For analysis of sexual function, the patient group was divided into two subgroups, one treated with radiotherapy only (RT) and one group treated with radiotherapy plus castration (RT+A). A value of >1 on a 0-10 scale indicated that the patient was having a problem.
Results:
The mean age was 73 years for both patients and controls. No changes in urinary problems were seen between the 4-year and the 8-year follow-up in the 2 groups. Sixty percent and 54% of the patients (P = 0.096) and 24% and 31% of the controls (P = 0.988) reported urinary problems at the 4-year and 8-year follow-ups, respectively. No changes in gastrointestinal late side effects in the patient group were seen between the 4-year (65%) and the 8-year (62%) follow-ups (P = 0.490). However, there was a decrease in intestinal problems in the control group between the 4-year (12%) and the 8-year (9%) follow-ups (P = 0.001). The sexual problems did not change during the two periods, in the patient groups or in the control groups. Fifty-six percent and 65% of the RT group (P = 0.052), 67% and 54 % of the RT + A group (P = 0.555), and 27% and 33 % of the control group (P = 0.243) indicated some kind of sexual problem at the 4-year and 8-year follow-ups, respectively.
Conclusions:
The amount of pelvic irradiation-induced urinary late side effects, intestinal late side effects, and sexual function, evaluated with a self-assessment questionnaire, did not change between 4 and 8 years after RT. The age-matched controls reported no change in urinary or sexual problems despite advanced age, but there was a reported decrease in intestinal problems.