Mental Wellbeing and Quality of Life in Prostate Cancer

The complex relationship that exists between physical and mental health in prostate cancer is increasingly being understood. Psychiatric symptoms are common in this group and have important consequences for the quality of life and cancer outcomes for patients with prostate cancer. However, less is understood about the severity of disease and which patient factors and treatment options are risk factors for developing problems. Additionally, the impact these conditions have on problems such as urinary incontinence or sexual function is less well understood. The investigators anticipate that different patient characteristics and treatment options increase an individuals risk of developing problems after a prostate cancer diagnosis. Therefore, this study aims to further investigate these specific factors to improve follow up care in patients with prostate cancer. This observational study will follow up newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients for a period of 12 months to evaluate these outcomes. Participants will be identified across seven hospitals in London and South England. After being recruited participants will be invited to undergo repeated online or postal questionnaires at baseline, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. These will assess depressive and anxiety symptom load, body image issues, fear of recurrence, masculinity perception and functional symptoms (including urinary, bowel and sexual symptoms) load. Analysis of these findings will allow for identification of 1) Which subgroups of patients appear to have worse mental wellbeing and quality of life outcomes, and 2) How mental health issues impact functional outcomes. This will provide important information for guiding future research within the subject area and further inform clinicians about these issues.