1. EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL MAY 15, 2011 AT 11:00 A.M.
Contact: Wendy Waldsachs Isett, AUA
410-977-4770, wisett@AUAnet.org
GAY MEN MORE VULNERABLE TO QUALITY OF LIFE IMPACTS
FOLLOWING PROSTATE CANCER
Survey data on health-related quality of life reveal lower than average scores for gay men who have
had prostate cancer
Washington, DC May 14, 2011– Gay men who have undergone treatment for prostate cancer reported lower
health-related quality of life scores compared to data from more generalized populations in other published
research, according to a new study being presented during the 106th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American
Urological Association (AUA).
The study, which is among the first to quantitatively examine the impact of prostate cancer on gay men, will be
presented to reporters during a special press conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in
Washington, DC on Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.
In the study, 92 gay men from both the United States and Canada completed a cross-sectional Internet-based
survey that included the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index (EPIC) and the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire
Short-Form, as well as questions relating to fear of cancer recurrence. Gay men, compared to normative data
from more generalized populations, reported statistically significant worse functioning and more severe bother
scores on the EPIC urinary, bowel, and hormonal symptom scales, and also reported worse EPIC sexual and
ejaculatory functioning scores, as well as significantly worse mental health functioning and higher fear of cancer
recurrence.
“This is one of the early studies demonstrating that quality of life is more significantly impacted by prostate
cancer in the gay population,” said Tomas L. Griebling, MD, MPH, the AUA spokesman who moderated the
briefing. “More research is needed to determine what steps we can take to diminish these impacts.”
NOTE TO REPORTERS: Experts are available to discuss this study outside normal briefing times. To arrange an interview
with an expert, please contact the AUA Communications Office at the number above or e-mail
Communications@AUAnet.org.
About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American
Urological Association is the pre-eminent professional organization for urologists, with more than 17,000 members
throughout the world. An educational nonprofit organization, the AUA pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards
of urologic care by carrying out a wide variety of programs for members and their patients.
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2. 163
GAY MEN WITH PROSTATE CANCER REPORT SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE HRQOL THAN HETEROSEXUAL MEN
Stacey Hart, David Coon, Marc Kowalkowski, David Latini, Toronto, Canada
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Gay men (GM) are thought to comprise 5-10% of US adult males, yet little is
known about how prostate cancer and its treatment affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in this
population. Literature on this topic is limited to a few published studies with small samples and only qualitative
data. Blank (2005) in his commentary called for research to understand how prostate cancer affects GM.
METHODS: We asked a US and Canadian convenience sample of GM (N=92) to complete a cross-sectional
internet-based survey that included the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index (EPIC), MOS SF-36 v. 1.0, Male Sexual
Health Questionnaire Short-Form (to assess ejaculatory function and bother), and fear of cancer recurrence.
Men were recruited from clinics, support groups, and across the internet. SPSS statistical software Version 17
was used for all analyses. All mean scores were converted to T-values, and t-tests compared means and SEs for
the current sample against published norms.
RESULTS:
Participants averaged 57.8 years (SD=0.97) and were primarily white (91.3%) or African-American (5.4%),
partnered (63.1%), and had completed college (69.5%). Mean PSA at diagnosis was 8.75 (SD=1.11); 71%
reported T1-T2a, 11% T2b-T2c, and 18% T3-T4 as their clinical stage. Mean Gleason score was 6.72(SD=1.14).
Participants reported surgery (55.4%), external radiotherapy (27.2%), or brachytherapy (7.6%) as primary
therapy. Twenty five percent reported adjuvant or neoadjuvant hormone therapy. GM reported statistically
significant worse functioning and more severe bother scores compared to norms on the EPIC urinary, bowel, and
hormonal symptom scales (ps<0.015-0.0001). GM also reported worse EPIC sexual functioning scores (p<0.002)
and ejaculatory functioning scores (p<0.01) than norms, but not significantly worse sexual bother scores.
Compared to norms, GM reported significantly worse mental health functioning (p<0.0001) on the SF-36, but
not physical health functioning. Moreover, GM reported significantly higher fear of cancer recurrence
(p<0.0001) compared to men in other published research, using the same scale.

3. Comparison of HRQOL scores between gay men's sample and published samples of men with prostate cancer
Gay men's Comparison T- p-
Domain
sample sample score value
Mean Mean
N N
(SE) (SE)
67.2 86.5
Urinary function 90 252 7.94 <.0001
(2.8) (1.0)
68.9 75.8
Urinary bother 90 252 2.43 0.015
(3.1) (1.3)
38.7 29.5
Sexual function 89 252 3.07 0.002
(2.6) (1.5)
40.1 41.1
Sexual bother 89 252 0.26 NS
(3.6) (1.9)
77.6 87.9
Bowel function 90 252 5.30 0.0001
(2.2) (0.9)
77.5 85.3
Bowel bother 90 252 2.92 0.004
(3.0) (1.2)
Hormonal 73.5 84.0
85 252 4.80 0.0001
function (2.4) (1.0)
52.4 88.7
Hormonal bother 90 252 18.95 0.0001
(2.1) (0.9)
43.9 51.9
SF-36 MCS 86 730 7.02 0.0001
(1.4) (1.4)
48.3 48.9
SF-36 PCS 86 730 0.52 NS
(1.1) (0.4)
Fear of 49.2 20.0
91 333 12.86 0.0001
recurrence (2.3) (1.1)
Ejaculatory 12.4
89 4.5 (3.5) 1079 27.4 0.01
function (2.6)
CONCLUSIONS:
Gay men may be particularly vulnerable to decrements in HRQOL after prostate cancer treatment. Further work
is needed to understand the mechanism of these changes and ways to improve HRQOL in this population.