Fatigue, depression, and quality of life in patients with prostatic diseases

Fatigue and depression are commonly attributed to malignant and chronic benign diseases. However, these phenomena have been little investigated to date in prostatic diseases. Our aim was to compare fatigue and depression in prostate cancer patients treated with Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) and in patients with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) / Benign Prostatic Syndrome.

100 patients each with PCa (prostate cancer) and BPS (Benign Prostatic Syndrome) were surveyed using the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), EORTC-QLQ C30 [1], and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). EORTC-QLQ-C30 was analyzed by the Mann-Whitney-U-Test. Results were analyzed using the MWUT, CST and ST.

No differences were found between both groups in terms of fatigue (BFI). The prostate cancer group showed a significantly higher impairment in the EORTC-QLQ-C30 role function and fatigue score. We found differences on the BDI in regards to self-criticism with higher mean scores for LUTS patients, whereas loss of energy and loss of sexual interest were more relevant in prostate cancer patients. However, the overall mean score of both groups showed no difference.

This study compared fatigue, depression, and the quality of life in prostate cancer patients treated with ADT and patients with BPS/LUTS. The two groups do not differ in fatigue and depression levels.