Interactive Program Boosts Life of Prostate Cancer Patients Suffering from Erectile Dysfunction

07 Sep, 2005

An intervention run by specialist nurses and aided by an interactive computer program may help improve men's quality of life after prostate cancer treatment and its common post-treatment problems such as sexual dysfunction and worry about cancer recurrence. The nurses could help patients identify their concerns through the interactive computer program, and figure out what to do about them.

According to a study, if quality-of-life issues, like sexual function, urinary symptoms and anxiety over cancer recurrence, aren't addressed early, they could grow and take firmer hold much like cancer does. The study included 99 prostate cancer patients who were randomly assigned to receive either the nurse-led intervention or standard care following treatment for their cancer.

Overall, sexual dysfunction was the most common problem -- affecting 23 percent of patients -- followed by urinary symptoms and relationship strain. When a problem was identified, the nurse and patient would settle on a strategy to deal with it.

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