Men are ‘willing to risk earlier deaths to avoid surgery for prostate cancer’ over fears it could impact their sex lives, study claims
- Men were concerned about sex lives and incontinence, according to a study
- Results may persuade doctors to reduce the overtreatment of thousands of men
- For those where it has not spread, it may be better to offer only regular checks
Men with prostate cancer are willing to accept lower survival odds to avoid the side effects of treatment, according to a study.
It found that they were concerned about the impact on their sex lives and the possibility of incontinence.
The results from questioning 634 newly-diagnosed sufferers may persuade doctors to reduce the overtreatment of thousands of men, which leads to marginal benefits to their health.
Men with prostate cancer are willing to accept lower survival odds to avoid the side effects of treatment, according to a study
Some 47,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK each year and about 20,000 have treatment such as radiotherapy or surgery.
But for those where it has not spread, it may be better to offer only regular checks or ‘active surveillance’.
Professor Hashim Ahmed, who led the Imperial College London study, said: ‘In men with medium-risk disease there is uncertainty over whether treatment affects survival.
‘It’s easy to assume that patients’ key motivation is survival but the situation is more nuanced. Many men think about the quantity and quality of life.’
The Daily Mail is campaigning to improve the treatment of prostate cancer after decades of neglect and under-investment.
Men were concerned about the impact on their sex lives and the possibility of incontinence