Prospective Long-term Health-related Quality of Life Outcomes After Surgery, Radiotherapy, or Active Surveillance for Localized Prostate Cancer

We prospectively evaluated long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a large US patient population treated for localized prostate cancer. HRQoL outcomes varied according to treatment modality and time. Radical prostatectomy (RP) results in worse long-term urinary function and incontinence, but less irritative and obstructive symptoms than external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and active surveillance (AS). Sexual domain scores were least affected by AS, while RP shows similar scores to EBRT at long term. These changes should inform patients about their expected outcomes following treatment.