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Table 5 Radiotherapy (RT) and psychological adjustment

From: Psychological adjustment of men with prostate cancer: a review of the literature

Study

Design

Characteristics of the sample

Major findings

Caffo et al. (1996)

• Retrospective "ad hoc" QOL questionnaire inquiry following RT

• 70 patients with localized PCA

• Psychological adjustment and relational well-being good

• Level of available information about PCA and RT correlate with adjustment

Joly et al. (1998)

• Retrospective, controlled study of health-related QOL (EORTC)

• 71 patients with localized disease treated with combined external beam RT and brachytherapy

• Treatment has no adverse effects

• Patients and controls similar on a range of measures but sexual and urinary symptoms more common in patients

Artebery et al. (1997)

• Retrospective questionnaire (EORTC Prostate) study following brachytherapy

• 51 patients with localized PCA

• Only a minority report psychological distress or disrupted social/family life

• Return rate to work – 93%

• 100% would recommend treatment to others

Monga et al. (1997)

• Prospective

• Aim was to determine cause of fatigue in PCA patients receiving RT through questionnaire (Beck Depression Inventory and 2 sleep scales) and measure of neuromuscular efficiency (NME)

• 13 patients with localized PCA

• Significant but transient decline in NME, independent of psychological status; thus fatigue physically – based rather than influenced by depression

Monga et al. (1999)

• Prospective evaluation, including fatigue, at 4 points – before, during and after RT

• Same measures as in Monga et al. (1997)

• 36 patients with localised PCA

• Fatigue scores significantly higher at end of treatment

• Not associated with psychological status eg. depression or with sleep.

• May be secondary to decline in neuromuscular efficiency and increased muscle fatigue

Greenberg et al. (1993)

• Prospective study of fatigue and mood (Beck Depression Inventory) during treatment

• 15 patients with localised PCA

• Fatigue increases with treatment, but independent of depression

• Fatigue associated with increased interleukin – 1 which could be a marker for fatigue associated with RT