Guidelines for Sexual Health Care for Prostate Cancer Patients: Recommendations of an International Panel.

BACKGROUND: Patients with prostate cancer suffer significant sexual dysfunction after treatment which negatively affects them and their partners psychologically, and strain their relationships. AIM: We convened an international panel with the aim of developing guidelines that will inform clinicians, patients and partners about the impact of prostate cancer therapies (PCT) on patients' and partners' sexual health, their relationships, and about biopsychosocial rehabilitation in prostate cancer (PC) survivorship. METHODS: The guidelines panel included international expert researchers and clinicians, and a guideline methodologist. A systematic review of the literature, using the Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, PsychINFO, LGBT Life, and Embase databases was conducted (1995-2022) according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Study selection was based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Each statement was assigned an evidence strength (A-C) and a recommendation level (strong, moderate, conditional) based on benefit/risk assessment, according to the nomenclature of the American Urological Association (AUA). Data synthesis included meta-analyses of studies deemed of sufficient quality (3), using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). OUTCOMES: Guidelines for sexual health care for patients with prostate cancer were developed, based on available evidence and the expertise of the international panel. RESULTS: The guidelines account for patients' cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity. They attend to the unique needs of individuals with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. The guidelines are based on literature review, a theoretical model of sexual recovery after PCT, and 6 principles that promote clinician-initiated discussion of realistic expectations of sexual outcomes and mitigation of sexual side-effects through biopsychosocial rehabilitation. Forty-seven statements address the psychosexual, relationship, and functional domains in addition to statements on lifestyle modification, assessment, provider education, and systemic challenges to providing sexual health care in PC survivorship. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The guidelines provide clinicians with a comprehensive approach to sexual health care for patients with prostate cancer. STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS: The strength of the study is the comprehensive evaluation of existing evidence on sexual dysfunction and rehabilitation in prostate cancer that can, along with available expert knowledge, best undergird clinical practice. Limitation is the variation in the evidence supporting interventions and the lack of research on issues facing patients with prostate cancer in low and middle-income countries. CONCLUSION: The guidelines document the distressing sexual sequelae of PCT, provide evidence-based recommendations for sexual rehabilitation and outline areas for future research. Wittmann D, Mehta A, McCaughan E, et al. Guidelines for Sexual Health Care for Prostate Cancer Patients: Recommendations of an International Panel. J Sex Med 2022;19:1655-1669.

Preparing Patients and Partners for Recovery From the Side Effects of Prostate Cancer Surgery: A Group Approach.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the acceptance and knowledge attained in a preoperative psychoeducational group seminar for patients and partners. Education before radical prostatectomy (RP) helps patients set appropriate expectations for functional recovery. We hypothesized that the seminar would be acceptable and would facilitate learning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Men scheduled for RP from March 1, 2012, to July 31, 2013, were eligible, and partners were invited. The 2.5-hour interactive seminar included multidisciplinary presentations about surgery-related urinary and sexual outcomes, rehabilitation, and couples' work toward recovering sexual intimacy. A satisfaction and knowledge survey was administered immediately afterward. We analyzed demographic and satisfaction data with descriptive statistics and evaluated congruence of patients' and partners' knowledge responses using nonparametric statistics. RESULTS: Of 618 patients scheduled, 426 patients and 342 partners attended; 323 couples provided complete data. Over 90% of participants found the seminar informative and 74% found a group setting comfortable; 84% found travel to the seminar burdensome. Most patients and partners (84% and 90%, respectively) expected some urinary incontinence and understood rehabilitation strategies to regain bladder control; 84% of patients and 78% of partners expected postsurgery sexual activity to be different and 73% of patients and 65% of partners expected surgery to make erections worse. Couples were incongruent regarding frequency of incontinence, likelihood of erectile dysfunction, and sex being different after surgery: patients were more realistic. CONCLUSION: A preoperative psychoeducational group seminar on the recovery from RP side effects promotes realistic expectations and is acceptable to patients and partners. Incongruent couples may need further instruction after surgery. Web-based methodology could improve access and should be studied in future research.

Abdominal Symptoms Are Common and Benefit from Biofeedback Therapy in Patients with Dyssynergic Defecation.

OBJECTIVES: Dyssynergic defecation (DD) is a subtype of chronic constipation that responds to biofeedback therapy (BFT). Abdominal, anorectal, and stool symptoms are commonly reported by DD patients, but limited data exist to demonstrate the improvement of these associated symptoms to BFT. Aims to prospectively study the response of constipation and associated abdominal, rectal, and stool symptoms to biofeedback in a population with dyssynergia. METHODS: Patients with DD as determined by anorectal manometry and balloon expulsion testing were included into the study. All patients completed a validated survey, the Personal Assessment of Constipation Symptom (PAC-SYM) questionnaire, before and following BFT. The PAC-SYM is a clinical tool to assess constipation-related symptom frequency and severity. RESULTS: Seventy-seven dyssynergic patients fulfilled the study requirements. Abdominal symptoms were present in up to 74% of patients with dyssynergia. PAC-SYM summation scores improved following completion of biofeedback by 48%, from 22.08 to 11.48 (P<0.001). The proportion of patients with at least moderate symptoms decreased in all 12 questionnaire items, including all abdominal symptoms, after completing BFT (46.8% to 14.3%, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal symptoms are common in patients with dyssynergia. BFT improves both anorectal-related constipation symptoms and associated abdominal symptoms in patients with DD. Limitations of this study are observational design, lack of control group, and lack of long-term follow-up.

Rectal prolapse in older children associated with behavioral and psychiatric disorders.

PURPOSE: Rectal prolapse (RP) beyond infancy is challenging, and despite surgical correction, recurrences are not uncommon, suggesting that underlying contributing processes may have a role. This study highlights a previously poorly recognized relationship between RP in older children and behavioral/psychiatric disorders (BPD). We describe the incidence of recurrence and use of behavioral, psychological and physical therapeutic tactics in a multidisciplinary approach to pediatric RP. METHODS: A retrospective 20-year review of RP in children >3 years of age was adopted. Charts were reviewed for gastrointestinal, connective tissue, and BPD conditions, incidence of recurrence, and therapies employed including surgery, behavioral, and physical therapy. RESULTS: 45 patients were included, ranging from 3 to 18 years of age; 29 males. Thirty-seven underwent surgery. Six of the 45 were excluded as they had gastrointestinal or connective tissue conditions placing them at risk for prolapse. Over half (21/39, 53%) had BPD. Slightly more than half of patients had a recurrence, but there was no increased risk in those with associated BPD. While all 21 underwent some therapy for their BPD, over the past 5 years we have enrolled eight of these patients into a program of behavioral and/or physical therapy with all reporting reductions in frequency and severity of prolapse after initiating pelvic floor strengthening, behavior modification, and biofeedback, and avoidance of surgery in three. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights an important group of pediatric patients with RP that may well benefit from a combination of behavioral therapy, physical therapy as well as surgical intervention to obtain the most optimal outcome.