Quality of life in patients who underwent low-dose-rate brachytherapy for prostate cancer with 10-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term follow-up quality of life (QOL) outcomes in patients who underwent low-dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) for prostate cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between May 2010 and January 2018, 853 patients who completed Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) questionnaires before treatment were enrolled in the present study. QOL was evaluated before treatments, at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 120 months after LDR-BT. Factors related to satisfaction with LDR-BT were evaluated using binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: At 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 120 months after LDR-BT, 553/852 (65%), 570/840 (68%), 609/847 (72%), 677/837 (81%), 645/814 (79%), 636/789 (81%), 656/767 (86%), 626/730 (86%), and 282/330 (85%) patients were satisfied with the treatment. At 24, 60, and 120 months after LDR-BT, maintained QOL in the urinary (Odds ratio (OR): 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.29-0.61) and bowel (OR: 0.61, 95% CI 0.43-0.87) domains, maintained QOL in the urinary (OR: 0.30, 95% CI 0.20-0.47), bowel (OR: 0.53, 95% CI 0.35-0.82), and hormonal domains (OR: 0.44, 95% CI 0.28-0.70), and biochemical recurrence-free within 5 years after LDR-BT (OR: 0.16, 95% CI 0.07-0.39), and maintained QOL in the bowel (OR: 0.43, 95% CI 0.23-0.81) domain were significantly related to satisfaction with LDR-BT for prostate cancer, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Maintained urinary, bowel, and hormonal QOL and biochemical control were related to satisfaction with LDR-BT for prostate cancer.