Symptom Management Articles

Patient reports of their symptom burden (i.e., patient-reported outcomes or PROs) have been shown to direct clinicians' ability to personalize care and improve outcomes. A disciplined assessment of PRO in the population of patients with advanced penile cancer (PeCa) has not previously been undertaken.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the symptom management after radiotherapy (SMaRT) group intervention to improve urinary symptoms in men with prostate cancer.

The randomised controlled trial (RCT) recruited men from one radiotherapy centre in the UK after curative radiotherapy or brachytherapy and with moderate to severe urinary symptoms defined as scores ≥ 8 on the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire.

Men with localized prostate cancer often experience urinary, sexual, bowel, and hormonal symptoms; general distress; pain; fatigue; and sleep disturbance. For men in an intimate relationship, these symptoms disrupt couples' relationships and intimacy.