Social Classes 'Reduce Stress Before Operations'

The long-term health and quality of life experienced by men after radical prostatectomy can be improved with some small interventions before the procedure, according to research.

Scientists at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center explain that behavioural interventions can be associated with long-term benefits for prostate cancer patients.

Their study aimed to minimise stress, both before and after surgery, in light of the known link between increased stress and longer recovery times.

For prostate cancer patients, they note that the risk of stress may be higher due to the highly personal nature of some of the complications or side-effects of surgery.

These include, for example, incontinence and erectile dysfunction, after undergoing a radical prostatectomy.

By encouraging patients to attend social classes designed to combat their concerns about such side-effects, the researchers found they were able to lower mood disturbances in the short term and raise quality of life in the long term.

The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center advises men to watch for difficulty or pain when urinating, along with lower back or pelvic pain, as symptoms of prostate cancer.

However, for those diagnosed with the disease in its early stages the healthcare facility adds that the chances of recovery are near 100 per cent.