UCSF

Objective

To evaluate the impact of demographic, clinical, treatment and patient-reported parameters on satisfaction with prostate cancer care. Despite the significant worldwide impact of prostate cancer, few data are available specifically addressing satisfaction with treatment-related care.

Patients and methods

CaPSURE comprises participants from 40 US sites who were monitored during and after their treatment course. Participants who were diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer after 1999 underwent radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy or primary androgen deprivation, and those who also completed the satisfaction questionnaire within 2 years of treatment were included in the present study. Satisfaction was measured using a validated instrument that assesses contact with providers, confidence in providers, communication skills, humanness and overall satisfaction. Multivariable linear regression analysis were performed to evaluate the independent relationships between demographic, clinical, treatment and patient-reported parameters and satisfaction.

Results

Of the 3056 participants, 1927 (63%) were treated with radical prostatectomy, 843 (28%) were treated with radiation therapy and 286 (9%) were treated with primary androgen deprivation. Multivariable analysis showed that multiple patient-reported factors were independently associated with satisfaction, whereas clinical, demographic and treatment parameters were not. Baseline health-related quality of life, measured by the 36-item short-form health survey, baseline fear of cancer recurrence (all P < 0.01) and declines in the sexual (P = 0.03), urinary (P < 0.01) and bowel (P = 0.02) function domains of the University of California Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index were all independently associated with satisfaction. Patient-reported outcomes were more strongly associated with satisfaction in the low-risk subgroup.

Conclusions

Patient-reported factors such as health-related quality of life and fear of cancer recurrence are independently associated with satisfaction with care. Pretreatment parameters should be used to identify populations at-risk for dissatisfaction to allow for intervention and/or incorporation into treatment decision-making.