The psychosocial impact of prostate cancer on patients and their partners

The experiences of gay and bisexual men diagnosed with prostate cancer: results from an online focus group

“…Smith suggests further that there may be some concerns that are unique to gay men (Smith et al . ). Those issues might include whether it is possible to engage in penetrative anal sex after prostate surgery, homophobia and/or disregard to sexuality when being diagnosed or treated for prostate cancer, the hetero‐centric nature of the medical profession and the impact of polygamous (open) relationships (Blank ; Blank et al .…”

“…Research suggests that while gay and straight men might share many of the same concerns regarding prostate cancer, the priorities and meanings assigned to such concerns may differ (Thomas 2012). Smith suggests further that there may be some concerns that are unique to gay men (Smith et al 2007). Those issues might include whether it is possible to engage in penetrative anal sex after prostate surgery, homophobia and/or disregard to sexuality when being diagnosed or treated for prostate cancer, the hetero-centric nature of the medical profession and the impact of polygamous (open) relationships (Blank 2005;Blank et al 2009).…”

The effects of radical prostatectomy on gay and bisexual men's mental health, sexual identity and relationships: qualitative results from the restore study

“…First, the emotional-mental health challenges of our cohort of prostate cancer men may show a greater difficulty for GBM. GBM may experience greater emotional challenges because of the higher prevalence of baseline depression, anxiety and psychological distress in GBM compared to heterosexual men(Cochran et al, 2003); or because they have less familial(Kurdek, 2001, 2004a, 2004b, 2005; Smith et al, 2007) and social support(Kurdek, 2001, 2004b, 2005) (since support has been shown to be predictive of psychological distress in men undergoing prostate cancer treatment (Canaday 2003). Alternatively, GBM may simply be more willing to admit to experiencing emotional challenges than their heterosexual counterparts(Cochran et al, 2003).…”

“…As a group, lesbian, gay and bisexual adults “appear to experience more mood and anxiety disorders, more depression, and an elevated risk for suicidal ideation and attempts compared with heterosexual adults”(Institute of Medicine, 2011). In addition, prostate cancer in GBM intersects with issues of minority status (Mitteldorf, 2005), discrimination,(Mitteldorf, 2005) and stigmatization (Fergus et al, 2002; Mitteldorf, 2005), including less familial(Kurdek, 2001, 2004a, 2004b, 2005; Smith, Filiault, Drummond, & Knappman, 2007) and social support(Kurdek, 2001, 2004b, 2005; Smith et al, 2007), and less partner involvement in treatment(Smith et al, 2007). …”

The effects of radical prostatectomy on gay and bisexual men's sexual functioning and behavior: qualitative results from the restore study

“…These include the loss of ejaculate (which authors emphasize is more central in gay sex (Harris, 2005; Mitteldorf, 2005)), the observation that anal sex requires stronger erections than vaginal sex (Blank, 2005) so that rehabilitation may be less successful, the loss of the prostate as a site for sexual pleasure in receptive anal sex (Santillo & Lowe, 2005; Smith, Filiault, Drummond, & Knappman, 2007), and persistent rectal irritation or pain sufficient to prevent receptive anal sex (Blank, 2005; Goldstone, 2005). Some changes in role-in-sex following treatment for prostate cancer have been reported (Hart et al, 2014) but how frequent or possible this is for GBM has not been studied.…”