The impact of prostate cancer on men's everyday life

Abstract

Prostate cancer impacts on the daily lives of men, particularly their physical and emotional health, relationships and social life. This paper highlights how men cope with disease and treatment and the strategies they employ to manage their diagnosis alongside daily life. Twenty seven men were interviewed prior to radiotherapy and 6-8 and 12-18 months post radiotherapy, to explore how they managed their disease at different stages of their treatment pathway. A grounded theory approach was used to collect and analyse the data. Five main themes emerged: pathway to diagnosis; interpretation of the diagnosis; making sense of cancer in daily life; managing the impact of treatment and living with prostate cancer in the long-term. Prostate cancer was diagnosed using the PSA test, rectal examination and biopsy. Many men did not understand the consequences of a high PSA reading before they undertook the test. Painful investigative biopsies being viewed as the worst part of the disease experience. Radiotherapy was considered less invasive compared to other treatments, however preparatory regimes were often associated with stress and inconvenience. Men used various strategies to accommodate prostate cancer in the long-term, particularly when masculine identity was challenged as a result of bodily changes arising from treatment.