Patient-reported functional outcomes and treatment-related regret in Hispanic and Spanish-speaking men following prostate cancer treatment.

Objectives: Compare functional outcomes and treatment-related regret over 10 years in Spanish- and English-speaking Hispanic men compared to non-Hispanic men following treatment of localized prostate cancer.

Methods and materials: Data from a prospective cohort study of men with localized prostate cancer treated with active surveillance, radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy were used to examine the effect of survey language (Spanish speaking vs. English speaking) and ethnicity (Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic) on functional outcomes and treatment-related regret over 10 years. Outcomes were measured using validated questionaries adjusting for baseline patient and disease characteristics.

Results: A total of 770 men were included, 12% were Spanish-speaking and 12% were English-speaking Hispanic men. Compared to non-Hispanic men, Spanish-speaking Hispanic men had clinically meaningfully better urinary incontinence scores at years 3, 5 and 10 (adjusted mean difference [aMD], 12.4, 95% CI, 4.8 to 20.0; at year 10), as well as better bowel function scores at 10 years (aMD, 5.1, 95% CI 2.3 to 8.0). English-speaking Hispanic men had clinically worse urinary incontinence at 3 and 5 years (aMD, -10.7 [95% CI, -17.6 to -3.9]; at year 5) and bowel function at 10 years (aMD, -4.3 [95% CI, -8.2 to -0.4]) compared to Spanish-speaking Hispanic men. English-speaking Hispanic men were more likely to report regret than Spanish-speaking Hispanic men at 10 years (adjusted odds ratio, 7.9, 95% CI, 1.3-46.2).

Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of considering language and ethnicity when providing counseling and support for prostate cancer survivors, emphasizing the need for personalized patient-centered care.