Quality of life with advanced metastatic prostate cancer

The health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) implications of advanced metastatic prostate cancer are variable. There are several different HRQOL instruments that measure domains germane to patients with advanced metastatic disease. The burden of prostate cancer is inversely related to the magnitude of HRQOL declines. Treatment with androgen deprivation therapy commonly results in HRQOL declines that have served as the impetus for intermittent therapy. Conversely, chemotherapeutic agents have been associated with improvements in functional status for men with castrate-resistant disease. Emerging therapies may result in significant HRQOL improvements in this population, and careful prospective evaluation of patient-reported outcomes will be required.