Strategies adopted by men to deal with uncertainty and anxiety when following an active surveillance/monitoring protocol for localised prostate cancer and implications for care: a longitudinal qualitative study embedded within the ProtecT trial.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Active surveillance (AS) enables men with low risk, localised prostate cancer (PCa) to avoid radical treatment unless progression occurs; lack of reliable AS protocols to determine progression leaves uncertainties for men and clinicians. This study investigated men's strategies for coping with the uncertainties of active monitoring (AM, a surveillance strategy within the Prostate testing for cancer and Treatment, ProtecT trial) over the longer term and implications for optimising supportive care.

Design

Longitudinal serial in-depth qualitative interviews every 2-3 years for a median 7 (range 6-14) years following diagnosis.

Setting

Four centres within the UK Protect trial.

Participants

Purposive sample of 20 men with localised PCa: median age at diag

SUBMITTER: Wade J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7482454 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature