Patient's Behavior and Attitudes Toward the Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Among Patients with the Risk of Disease Progression: Prospective Study by "Prostate and Expectations of Treatment Epidemiology Research (PETER) Study Group"

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate patients attitudes with benign prostatic hyperplasia at the risk of progression during a 12-month period of observation.

Materials And Methods: A total of 426 patients from 45 outpatients centers were included and prospectively followed. Inclusion criteria were: age > 50 years, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) > 8, prostate volume > 30 cm(3) (transabdominal ultrasound) and PSA > 1.5 to < 10 ng/ml.

Results: In all, 28.6% patients were naive, 62.9% used monotherapy (alpha-blocker), and 8.5% combined treatment (alpha-blocker/5alpha-reductase inhibitor/dutasteride). The most bothersome symptoms were the weak urine stream (60.8%) and nocturia (59.2%). Patients expectations from the treatment were stabilization of the disease and reducing the risk of surgery rather than rapid resolution of symptoms. Despite the presence of symptoms, 2.3% patients claimed that benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms had no impact on their quality of life (QoL), in 48.1 % only little impact on QoL, and 47.9% patients percepted their symptoms as severe. Out of 71.4% patients treated previously, 26.5% patients were indecisive about the satisfaction of present treatment. Visual analog score was percepted more optimistically rather than the IPSS. Pearson's correlation r = 0.68 at the beginning and r = 0.83 at the end of the study.

Conclusions: Prostate and Expectations of Treatment Epidemiology Research study highlights and reflects on patients behavior and self-perception, patients self-perception of the disease and therapeutic priorities during the 1 year of observation.