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Distress and social dysfunction following prostate cancer treatment: a longitudinal cross-cultural comparison of Japanese and American men

Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases volume 12, pages 67–71 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

We assessed the impact of bother with urinary and bowel dysfunction on social activities among men in Japan and the United States following primary therapy for localized prostate cancer. In paired longitudinal outcomes studies, we measured general and disease-specific health-related quality of life in 400 Japanese and 427 American men who underwent radical prostatectomy or brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer. Outcomes included the social function domain of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 and the University of California, Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index, all of which are scored 0–100. Participants completed the questionnaires before and 1, 12 and 24 months after treatment. Among men who reported any urinary bother, Japanese men had slightly better urinary function than American men (84 vs 77, P<0.01). Before brachytherapy, urinary bother was weakly correlated with social function in both the countries; after brachytherapy, urinary bother was strongly correlated with social function in American but not Japanese men. After brachytherapy, bowel dysfunction had a stronger correlation with social function in American than Japanese men (P<0.05). The bother associated with urinary and bowel dysfunction after surgery or brachytherapy for prostate cancer has a greater impact on social function in American men than in Japanese men.

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Acknowledgements

Dr Tatsuo Tochigi and Dr Sadafumi Kawamura, Miyagi Cancer Center; Dr Naomasa Ioritani and Dr Masataka Aizawa, Sendai Shakaihoken Hospital; Emiko Izutu, Tohoku University Hospital and Griselda Lopez, University of California, Los Angeles, assisted with data collection and management.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    S Namiki & M S Litwin

  2. Department of Health Services, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    M S Litwin

  3. Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    M Kagawa-Singer

  4. Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    S Namiki, L Kwan, M Kagawa-Singer & M S Litwin

  5. Department of Urology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan

    S Namiki & Y Arai

  6. Department of Urology, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Okayama, Japan

    A Terai

  7. Department of Urology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanakawa, Japan

    T Satoh & S Baba

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  1. S Namiki
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  2. L Kwan
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  3. M Kagawa-Singer
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  7. Y Arai
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  8. M S Litwin
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Correspondence to M S Litwin.

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Namiki, S., Kwan, L., Kagawa-Singer, M. et al. Distress and social dysfunction following prostate cancer treatment: a longitudinal cross-cultural comparison of Japanese and American men. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 12, 67–71 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/pcan.2008.20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pcan.2008.20

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