Evaluate the relationship between psychological distress, namely anxiety and depression, with urinary continence and recovery of erectile function in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP).
We retrospectively analyzed data from 33 consecutive patients who underwent RP in a single tertiary-referral academy between 01/2018 to 01/2019. We used the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-15), the Sexual Complaints Screener for Men (SCS-M), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), validated questionnaires for the assessment of sexual function, anxiety, and depression experiences, respectively. These questionnaires were administered at the pre-surgical visit, after surgery, and at intermediate follow-ups (three, six, and twelve months).
The analysis of the questionnaires completed during follow-up shows that erectile function is the most affected, with 90% erectile dysfunction (ED) at three months after surgery. In terms of emotional states, anxiety prevails in the first months following surgery and is statistically significantly associated with incontinence (p = 0.02). Depressive symptoms, on the other hand, appear later and prevail over anxiety at six months after surgery, although not statistically significant.
In the early post-surgical phase anxiety and ED are the most frequently detected components, while depressive experiences and decreased desire, typical of later stages, have not yet fully emerged.
Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. 2024 Apr 18*** epublish ***
Marco Tozzi, Letizia Maria Ippolita Jannello, Marco Silvaggi, Paolo Maria Michetti
Department of Urology, IEO European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, IEO European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, Milan, Italy. ., Institute of Clinical Sexology (ISC), Via Savoia 78, 00198, Rome, Italy., Department of Urology, Sapienza University of Rome, 155 - 00161, Rome, Italy.