The impact of surgical treatment for penile cancer - patients' perspectives

Purpose of the research: Penile cancer is a rare but highly treatable condition. Whilst over 80% survive forover five years, treatment can have a significant impact on quality of life. There has been little researchconducted to date on men's experiences of treatment for penile cancer. The Patients Experiences ofPenile Cancer study (PEPC) aimed to redress this shortfall by exploring men's experiences of surgicaltreatment for penile cancer.Methods and sample: The study used a narrative history design in which data were collected using oneon-one semi-structured interviews. Maximum variation sampling was used to acquire the widestpossible range of experiences. Twenty-seven interviews of around one hour were conducted with menwith an average age of 63 years at diagnosis (range ¼ 41e82). The data were analysed using constantcomparison analysis.Key results: The physical impact of surgery was inter-connected with broader events in the lives of themen experiencing treatment. These experiences cover urinary function, sexual function and sexual relationships,healing and recovery, masculinity, mental well-being, coping and support.Conclusion: A key area for the development of care is to devise and evaluate procedures for ensuring thatmen are well-informed about the extent and potential consequences of their treatment. Men's experiencesof penile cancer surgery will be informed by a complex web interlaced with their broader lives,making it difficult for health professionals to judge how surgery will impact on a men presenting tothem. Further research is required to ascertain the most appropriate strategies for rehabilitation of menexperiencing penile cancer surgery