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. 2018 Dec 3;17(1):126.
doi: 10.1186/s12904-018-0381-6.

Quality of life in men with metastatic prostate cancer in their final years before death - a retrospective analysis of prospective data

Maja Holm  1 , Sandra Doveson  2   3 , Olav Lindqvist  4   5 , Agneta Wennman-Larsen  2   3 , Per Fransson  5   6
Affiliations

Quality of life in men with metastatic prostate cancer in their final years before death - a retrospective analysis of prospective data

Maja Holm et al. BMC Palliat Care. .

Abstract

Background: Quality of Life (QoL) is the most important outcome for patients in palliative care along with symptom alleviation. Metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) is a life-threatening illness, and hence, a palliative care approach may be beneficial to this group. Over time, new life-prolonging treatments have been developed for men with mPC, but the possibility to prolong life should also be balanced against the men's QoL, particularly because there are side effects involved with these treatments. The aim of this study was to evaluate QoL, functioning and symptoms in men with mPC during their final years before death.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of data from a long-term prospective study of men (n = 3885) with prostate cancer from two regions in Sweden. Validated questionnaires asking about participants' QoL, functioning and symptoms were used to collect data. From the overall study, 190 men with mPC were identified. They were stratified into three groups, depending on the amount of time that had passed between the last questionnaire and their death; < 6 months, 6-18 months and > 18 months before death.

Results: Men with mPC generally rated their QoL poorly compared to established clinically significant threshold values. The group of men that were < 6 months before death rated their QoL, functioning and several symptoms significantly worse than the two other groups. Men that died after the year 2006 reported lower QoL and functioning and more pain and fatigue than those who died before 2006.

Conclusion: The results in this study indicate that men with mPC have unmet needs with regards to QoL and symptoms. A palliative care approach, alongside possible life-prolonging treatments, that focuses on QoL and symptom relief, may serve as an important frame to give the best support to these men in their final years of life.

Keywords: Life-prolonging treatment; Metastatic disease; Palliative care; Prostate cancer; Quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethical approval was granted by the Research Ethical Review Board in Umeå, Sweden, (Dnr 02–054). Written informed consent was obtained from all patients in the study.

Consent for publication

Not applicable

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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