THURSDAY, Nov. 4, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- A new study under way at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and at five other cancer centers in the United States will examine outcome, satisfaction with cancer care, and quality of life among prostate cancer patients and their spouses.
Men with prostate cancer are living longer due to advances in early detection and treatment of the disease. This study is designed to create an in-depth profile of the experiences of 1,800 prostate cancer patients and their spouses, the researchers said.
This is the first national study to measure the satisfaction of prostate cancer patients and their spouses with the manner and skill of their cancer doctor. It's also the first study to provide patients and their spouses with an opportunity to consider the side effects of cancer control and treatment by rating their satisfaction with the overall outcome of treatment.
"A spouse can often have a more discerning perspective about the overall experience that may complement that of the man who is going through the treatment," principal investigator Dr. Martin Sanda, director of Beth Israel's Prostate Cancer Care Center, said in a prepared statement.
"This study examines, for the first time, the perspective of both the patient and, in the spouse, of someone who is intimately involved throughout the cancer treatment process despite not physically going through the treatment," Sanda said.
The other centers involved in the study are: the University of Michigan; the Cleveland Clinic; Washington University in St. Louis; M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and UCLA. Anyone interested in participating can phone 617-667-2960.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about prostate cancer.
