Spousal responses to prostate cancer: an integrative review

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States. Survival rates of localized cancer are excellent, with more than 96 percent of men surviving 5 years after diagnosis. However, treatment such as radical prostatectomy may leave the patients and their spouses to deal with long-term side effects, including impotence and urinary incontinence. While previous studies have shown how men react to these treatment effects, studies are now emerging that focus on the responses of their spouses to diagnosis and treatment side effects. This integrative literature review examines the psychosocial responses of spouses whose husbands have undergone prostatectomy. Studies that report on spouses' responses to diagnosis, treatment, and side effects were reviewed. The literature shows that spouses are significantly more distressed overall than are patients. Sources of distress include lack of information, fear of the unknown, fear of what the future will hold, and treatment-related concerns. Only one controlled intervention study was found that attempted to address these concerns. Further controlled studies are needed to address spousal distress.