Prospective assessment of time-dependent changes in quality of life of Japanese patients with prostate cancer following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy

The objective of this study was to characterize changes in the quality of life (QOL) of Japanese patients following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). This study included 298 consecutive localized prostate cancer (PC) patients undergoing RARP. The health-related QOL and disease-specific QOL were assessed using The Medical Outcomes Study 8-Item Short Form (SF-8) and The Extended Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC), respectively, before and 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after RARP. At 1 month after RARP, four (physical function, role limitations because of physical health problems, social function and role limitations because of emotional problems) of the eight scores in SF-8 were significantly impaired compared with those of baseline scores. However, all eight scores on all postoperative assessments, except for at 1 month after RARP, showed no significant differences from baseline scores. Although there were no significant differences in the bowel function, bowel bother, sexual bother, hormonal function or hormonal bother between baseline and postoperative assessments of EPIC at all time points, the urinary function, urinary incontinence and sexual function scores at 1, 3 and 6 months after RARP were significantly inferior to those of baseline scores, and urinary bother and urinary irritation/obstruction scores at 1 month after RARP were significantly impaired compared with those of baseline scores. These findings suggest that the health-related QOL of Japanese PC patients undergoing RARP may not be markedly deteriorated following RARP; however, as for the disease-specific QOL, urinary and sexual functions, particularly those early after RARP, appeared to be significantly impaired.