New survey will provide detail on quality of life

Europa Uomo has announced that it is launching a new quality of life study, to build on the massive interest generated by its 2019-2020 EUPROMS (Europa Uomo Patient Reported Outcome Study) research. In September, it will be publicising a new survey and asking men with prostate cancer to provide vital new information about life after treatment.

The original EUPROMS study drew on nearly 3,000 survey responses to provide important findings about life after prostate cancer treatment, including the fact that half of men say that sexual functioning has been a significant problem for them and that 42% of men are left anxious or depressed.

Since its launch in January 2020, the study findings have been reported at nine scientific meetings and in several publications, and been used to campaign for better prostate cancer early detection programmes across Europe.

Now, EUPROMS II will provide more detailed information that will help answer vital questions:

• Is the quality of life of men with prostate cancer better if early detection programmes are in use?
• Is quality of life better if men are treated in multidisciplinary centres?
• To what extent does quality of life decline in the later stages, when patients are receiving ADT and chemotherapy?

“These are important points that only we, as patients, can judge on,” said Europa Uomo Chairman André Deschamps, introducing EUPROMS II to the organisation's member organisations at the General Assembly last week. “And that is why we have set up EUPROMS II.”

The answers will in turn help guide better detection and treatment. “By changing some of the questions we hope we can once and for all shut down the voices of those who say that early detection programmes for prostate cancer are a mistake,” said André Deschamps.

“When we started EUPROMS two years ago, I would not have imagined what an impact it would have had and is still having.” Its findings have been presented to European politicians who are currently deciding whether to recommended prostate cancer early detection programmes throughout Europe.

EUPROMS II will follow the same structures as EUPROMS I, using an online questionnaire publicised to patients throughout Europe. People who responded to the first questionnaire are being encouraged to respond again. Answers will remain confidential. The analysis will again be conducted by urology researchers at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.

“We have done the concept phase, sponsorship is in hand, we have had a first pilot, and are now in the final stage of finalising the questionnaire in English, then later this month we will have a test run,” said André Deschamps. “We will start gathering data in September.”