New paper based on Europa Uomo’s EUPROMS study published

Europa Uomo’s influential EUPROMS quality of life study has given rise to a new paper in a learned journal, making clear that treatment can have a significant impact on the sexual function of men with prostate cancer.

The paper, authored by Europa Uomo Board members and researchers from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, compares the sexual function of men receiving prostatectomy, radiotherapy and active surveillance, based on the results of the EUPROMS study in 2019.

Of the men on active surveillance, 44.7% reported very poor or no ability to have an erection compared with 71.7-88.2% of the men undergoing active treatment for prostate cancer. Of the men treated actively, 66.6-88.3% rated their ability to function sexually as “very poor/poor” compared with 43.1% for men on active surveillance.

More than half of the men who underwent radical prostatectomy viewed their lack of sexual function as a moderate or big problem for which they had tried medications or devices.

“The outcomes of the unique, patient-driven EUPROMS study revealed the significant and non-negligible impact of prostate cancer treatment on sexual function,” says the report, published online in touchREVIEWS in Oncology & Haematology. “Data from the EUPROMS study can be used in daily clinical practice to inform patients and physicians about the impact of prostate cancer treatment and to engage in a shared decision-making process.”