Movember: Prostate Cancer Outcomes Australia Annual Report 2016

"A key component of this global initiative has been the support for introducing prostate cancer outcomes registries to monitor patient-reported outcomes and patterns of care."

Prostate cancer is currently the most common cancer diagnosed in Australian men but more than 94 percent of those diagnosed are alive 5 years later. Although the survival rate is high the treatments can affect men and their loved ones long after the therapies are finished.

Registry data can provide researchers with the tools and information necessary to improve outcomes for men with prostate cancer by understanding areas of unmet need, implementing strategies to address these needs and tracking progress over time to measure the success of these strategies.

Patient-Reported Outcomes

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) reveal the patient’s own view of their health and wellbeing without interpretation from anyone, including a clinician. This is important, because these outcomes may differ from those of their treating clinician. The combination of PROMs and clinical information including considering risk categories such as age at diagnosis and stage of disease help to improve the understanding of how treatments may affect men. It also provides an opportunity for men to take action to improve their outcomes.

Key Findings:

• Men undergoing a prostatectomy are likely to experience some initial decline in urinary continence and sexual functioning, which generally improves with time after surgery. However, they are unlikely to regain the level of urinary continence or sexual function they had before their prostatectomy.
• Some men may struggle with the mental and physical wellbeing side-effects of some treatments.
• Ideally men should be informed about the possibility of decreased urinary continence and bowel and sexual functioning when making treatment decisions.