TY - JOUR

T1 - Couple Counseling and Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Men Operated for Prostate Cancer and for Their Female Partners

T2 - Results From the Randomized ProCan Trial

AU - Karlsen, Randi V.

AU - Bidstrup, Pernille E.

AU - Giraldi, Annamaria

AU - Hvarness, Helle

AU - Bagi, Per

AU - Lauridsen, Susanne Vahr

AU - Albieri, Vanna

AU - Frederiksen, Marie

AU - Krause, Eva

AU - Due, Ulla

AU - Johansen, Christoffer

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Introduction: Patients with prostate cancer (PC) who undergo radical prostatectomy (RP) experience impaired sexual and urinary function. Aim: To compare the effect of early couple counseling and pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) with usual care for sexual and urinary dysfunction after RP. Methods: The ProCan study was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two parallel treatment arms and 1:1 allocation. Between January 2016 and December 2017, candidates for RP were invited to a longitudinal questionnaire study and provided baseline measures before surgery. Patients who underwent RP, had a female partner, and were sexually active were invited to the ProCan RCT. Couples who provided informed consent were allocated to usual care or usual care and up to six couple counseling sessions, up to three instructions in PFMT and a video home-training program. All couples filled in follow-up questionnaires at 8 and 12 months and non-participants provided 12 months’ follow-up. Linear mixed-effect models and 95% confidence intervals were used to measure effects of the intervention. Main Outcome Measure: Primary outcome was erectile function, measured with The International Index of Erectile Function, at 8 and 12 months follow-up. Secondary outcomes were sexual and urinary function and use of treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) by patients; sexual function in female partners; and relationship function, health-related quality of life, anxiety, depression, and self-efficacy in both patients and female partners. Results: Thirty-five couples were randomized. No significant effect of the intervention was found on erectile function at 8 months (estimated difference in change, 1.41; 95% CI; –5.51; 8.33) or 12 months (estimated difference in change, 0.53; 95% CI; –5.94; 6.99) or in secondary outcomes, except for significantly increased use of ED treatment at 8 months. Conclusion: We found no effect of early couple counseling and PFMT, possibly because of the limited number of participants. Karlsen RV, Bidstrup PE, Giraldi A, et al. Couple Counseling and Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Men Operated for Prostate Cancer and for Their Female Partners. Results From the Randomized ProCan Trial. Sex Med 2021;9:100350.

AB - Introduction: Patients with prostate cancer (PC) who undergo radical prostatectomy (RP) experience impaired sexual and urinary function. Aim: To compare the effect of early couple counseling and pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) with usual care for sexual and urinary dysfunction after RP. Methods: The ProCan study was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two parallel treatment arms and 1:1 allocation. Between January 2016 and December 2017, candidates for RP were invited to a longitudinal questionnaire study and provided baseline measures before surgery. Patients who underwent RP, had a female partner, and were sexually active were invited to the ProCan RCT. Couples who provided informed consent were allocated to usual care or usual care and up to six couple counseling sessions, up to three instructions in PFMT and a video home-training program. All couples filled in follow-up questionnaires at 8 and 12 months and non-participants provided 12 months’ follow-up. Linear mixed-effect models and 95% confidence intervals were used to measure effects of the intervention. Main Outcome Measure: Primary outcome was erectile function, measured with The International Index of Erectile Function, at 8 and 12 months follow-up. Secondary outcomes were sexual and urinary function and use of treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) by patients; sexual function in female partners; and relationship function, health-related quality of life, anxiety, depression, and self-efficacy in both patients and female partners. Results: Thirty-five couples were randomized. No significant effect of the intervention was found on erectile function at 8 months (estimated difference in change, 1.41; 95% CI; –5.51; 8.33) or 12 months (estimated difference in change, 0.53; 95% CI; –5.94; 6.99) or in secondary outcomes, except for significantly increased use of ED treatment at 8 months. Conclusion: We found no effect of early couple counseling and PFMT, possibly because of the limited number of participants. Karlsen RV, Bidstrup PE, Giraldi A, et al. Couple Counseling and Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Men Operated for Prostate Cancer and for Their Female Partners. Results From the Randomized ProCan Trial. Sex Med 2021;9:100350.

KW - Couple Counseling

KW - Pelvic Floor Muscle

KW - Physiotherapy

KW - Prostate Cancer

KW - Sexual Dysfunction

KW - Surgery

U2 - 10.1016/j.esxm.2021.100350

DO - 10.1016/j.esxm.2021.100350

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 34091242

AN - SCOPUS:85107356529

VL - 9

JO - Sexual Medicine

JF - Sexual Medicine

SN - 2050-1161

IS - 3

M1 - 100350

ER -