Learning Objective #1: Describe self-evaluated treatment effects on quality of life, as described by those individuals treated with external beam radiation therapy or brachytherapy

Learning Objective #2: Incorporate quality of life information when providing education to men making treatment choices for their prostate cancer

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More than 229,900 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States during 2004, making it the second leading cause of cancer death among men. Treatments for localized prostate cancer vary, from watchful waiting to radical surgery, with each treatment option demonstrating a similar survival curve. The purpose of these studies were to allow men, treated with either brachytherapy (BT) or conventional external beam radiation therapy (XRT), to self-evaluate their quality of life (QoL) before and 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment. A 39-item, likert scale QoL instrument specifically developed for this population was used for data collection (FACT-P). Data from the 59 men in each treatment group were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA and Least Significant Difference Post-Hoc testing. Those treated with XRT demonstrated statistically significance changes in the FACT-P subscales of physical, social and specific prostate concerns over the 12 months. Those treated with BT demonstrated statistically significance changes in the physical and specific prostate concerns sub-scales 3 months after treatment. Awareness of how each treatment impacts self-evaluated QoL will assist nurses when providing education to those making treatment choices.