Analysis of psychological disorders in patients with localized prostate cancer

V.A. Solodkii, A.Yu. Pavlov, A.D. Tsybulskiy, A.G. Dzizaria, R.A. Gafanov, A.S. Pchelintsev

Russian Research Center of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Moscow

Aim: to assess the degree of psychological changes in patients with localized prostate cancer (PC) against the background of treatment.
Patients and Methods: patients with localized PC who are under treatment in the Russian Research Center of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine were divided into 2 groups. The 1st group — 58 patients with localized PC who received treatment in the volume of standard 6-field photon irradiation. The 2nd group — 49 patients with localized PC who received SLT treatment (brachytherapy followed by photon radiation therapy). Psychopathological abnormalities were determined by independent completion of the AMS self-report questionnaire (Aging Males’ Symptoms) by the patients before and after the complex treatment (in 3, 6, 12 months).
Results: the number of patients with symptoms of irritability and depression reached 50% on admission to the clinic. Nervousness (anxiety) was even more frequent (75% of cases). After 3 months of complex treatment psychopathological symptoms increased in both groups: nervousness 79.3% and 55.1%, symptoms of depression 58.6% and 48.9% in the 1st and 2nd groups respectively. After 6 months of treatment, irritability was the same in both groups, nervousness (55.2%) and anxiety (32.7% and 18.4%) were more frequent in 1st group than in 2nd group, symptoms of depression were observed in 1st group in 50% of men, in 2nd group in 32.6%. After 12 months the symptoms of nervousness, anxiety and depression were observed more often in the I group of patients during the whole period of observation (p<0.05).
Conclusion: it was found that anxiety-depression disorders were most frequent in 1st group, which is associated with a greater number of complications in the post-treatment period compared to 2nd group.

Keywords: prostate cancer, brachytherapy, depression, anxiety, nervousness, psychological disorders.
For citation: Solodkii V.A., Pavlov A.Yu., Tsybulskiy A.D. et al. Analysis of psychological disorders in patients with localized prostate cancer. RMJ. 2019;2:52–55.