Comparison of two methods for assessing erectile function before radical prostatectomy Research Letter
| Authors: | Bravi, C. A.; Tin, A.; Benfante, N.; Salonia, A.; Briganti, A.; Montorsi, F.; Mulhall, J. P.; Eastham, J. A.; Vickers, A. J. |
| Title: | Comparison of two methods for assessing erectile function before radical prostatectomy |
| Abstract: | Patient-reported outcome instruments for erectile function often ask respondents about their experience over the previous 4 wk. This is problematic for baseline assessment of patients with prostate cancer (PC) before treatment, as the previous 4 wk would probably have involved procedures such as biopsy and considerable anxiety related to their diagnosis. At San Raffaele Hospital, the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-6) was used to ask new PC patients about function in both the previous 4 wk and 6 mo. We compared responses to these two timeframes. IIEF-6 scores were lower for the 4-wk period (median 24 vs 26; p < 0.0001) predominately because approximately one in six of patients with good function in the 6-mo time frame had very poor function in the 4 wk before completing the questionnaire (adequate erectile function 60% and 51%; absolute difference 9%, 95% confidence interval 8-10%). Results were further confirmed using a comparison group of 5395 patients with PC newly diagnosed at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who had similar function in the previous 6 mo. Erectile function evaluation for men presenting with PC should involve asking about typical function over a 6-mo period rather than focusing on the previous 4 wk. Patient summary: Questionnaires to assess erectile function often ask men about function in the previous 4 wk. We found that this underestimates function in new prostate cancer patients and that such men should be asked about typical function over a 6-mo period. (c) 2019 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
| Keywords: | radical prostatectomy; patient-reported outcomes; erectile dysfunction; international index; iief questionnaire |
| Journal Title: | European Urology Oncology |
| Volume: | 4 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| ISSN: | 2588-9311 |
| Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
| Date Published: | 2021-04-01 |
| Start Page: | 323 |
| End Page: | 326 |
| Language: | English |
| ACCESSION: | WOS:000640189300026 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.euo.2019.02.003 |
| PROVIDER: | wos |
| PUBMED: | 31412005 |
| Notes: | Article -- Source: Wos |
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