National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Adverse Events (1)
- Anxiety (1)
- Cancer (15)
- (-) Cancer: Prostate Cancer (15)
- Comparative Effectiveness (11)
- Depression (1)
- (-) Evidence-Based Practice (15)
- Guidelines (1)
- Men's Health (6)
- Outcomes (9)
- (-) Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (15)
- Practice Patterns (2)
- Quality Measures (2)
- Quality of Care (1)
- Quality of Life (4)
- Sexual Health (1)
- Surgery (5)
- Treatments (6)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 15 of 15 Research Studies DisplayedAl Hussein Al Awamlh B, Wallis CJD, Penson DF
Functional outcomes after localized prostate cancer treatment.
The objective of this observational cohort study was to compare rates of adverse functional outcomes between specific treatments for localized prostate cancer. Researchers used data from five U.S. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program registries. Participants were patients treated for localized prostate cancer in 2011-2012. The results indicated that radical prostatectomy was associated with worse urinary incontinence, but not with worse sexual function, at 10-year followup when compared with radiotherapy or surveillance. Among patients with unfavorable-prognosis disease, external beam radiotherapy with androgen deprivation therapy was associated with worse bowel and hormone function at 10-year followup compared with radical prostatectomy.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356; HS022640.
Citation: Al Hussein Al Awamlh B, Wallis CJD, Penson DF .
Functional outcomes after localized prostate cancer treatment.
JAMA 2024 Jan 23; 331(4):302-17. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.26491.
.
.
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice
JE Wallis, CJD Huang, LC
AHRQ Author: Tallman
Association between adherence to radiation therapy quality metrics and patient reported outcomes in prostate cancer.
Researchers evaluated the impact of compliance with nationally recognized radiation therapy quality measures on patient-reported health-related quality of life outcomes in the Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Surgery and Radiation (CEASAR) population-based, prospective cohort study of men with localized prostate cancer. Eight quality measures were identified based on national guidelines. In multivariable analyses, no clinically significant associations were discovered between compliance with evaluated radiation therapy quality measures and patient-reported outcomes such as urinary irritation, urinary incontinence, bowel, sexual or hormonal function. The researchers concluded that further work would be needed to identify patient-centered quality measures of prostate cancer care.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356.
Citation: JE Wallis, CJD Huang, LC .
Association between adherence to radiation therapy quality metrics and patient reported outcomes in prostate cancer.
Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 2023 Mar;26(1):80-87. doi: 10.1038/s41391-022-00518-5.
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice, Quality Measures
De B, Pasalic D, Barocas DA
Patient-reported outcomes after external beam radiotherapy with low dose rate brachytherapy boost vs radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer: five-year results from a prospective comparative effectiveness study.
The purpose of this study was to compare patient reported outcomes through 5 years following radical prostatectomy or external beam radiation therapy with low dose rate brachytherapy boost for localized prostate cancer. The researchers enrolled men 80 years of age or under who had localized prostate adenocarcinoma and followed them longitudinally from 2011 to 2012. The study found that when compared with radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation therapy with low dose rate brachytherapy boost was related with clinically meaningful worse urinary irritative/obstructive and better urinary incontinence function through 5 years. Urinary function bother was similar between groups. Treatment with external beam radiation therapy with low dose rate brachytherapy boost was associated with worse bowel function through 5 years compared to radical prostatectomy. Treatment with external beam radiation therapy with low dose rate brachytherapy boost was associated with better sexual function at 1 year compared to radical prostatectomy, but there was insufficient evidence to reject the supposition that no difference was seen at 3 or 5 years. The researcher concluded that external beam radiation therapy with low dose rate brachytherapy boost was related with clinically meaningful worse urinary irritative/obstructive and bowel functions but better urinary incontinence function through 5 years after treatment compared to radical prostatectomy.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356; HS022640.
Citation: De B, Pasalic D, Barocas DA .
Patient-reported outcomes after external beam radiotherapy with low dose rate brachytherapy boost vs radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer: five-year results from a prospective comparative effectiveness study.
J Urol 2022 Dec;208(6):1226-39. doi: 10.1097/ju.0000000000002902..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Evidence-Based Practice, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Treatments
Wallis CJD, Huang LC, Zhao Z
Association between pelvic nodal radiotherapy and patient-reported functional outcomes through 5 years among men undergoing external-beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer: an assessment of the Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Surgery and Radiation (C
In this study, the investigators sought to compare functional outcomes for men receiving prostate and pelvic versus prostate-only radiotherapy, longitudinally over 5 years. The investigators concluded that there were no clinically important differences in disease-specific or general health-related quality of life with the addition of pelvic irradiation to prostate radiotherapy, supporting the use of pelvic radiotherapy when it may be of clinical benefit, such as men with increased risk of nodal involvement.
AHRQ-funded; HS022640; HS019356.
Citation: Wallis CJD, Huang LC, Zhao Z .
Association between pelvic nodal radiotherapy and patient-reported functional outcomes through 5 years among men undergoing external-beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer: an assessment of the Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Surgery and Radiation (C
Urol Oncol 2022 Feb;40(2):56.e1-56.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2021.04.035..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Men's Health, Comparative Effectiveness, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Quality of Life
Pasalic D, Barocas DA, Huang LC
Five-year outcomes from a prospective comparative effectiveness study evaluating external-beam radiotherapy with or without low-dose-rate brachytherapy boost for localized prostate cancer.
This retrospective cohort study’s objective was to determine if there were differences in treatment-related regret or survival between prostate cancer patients who received external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with or without a brachytherapy boost (EBRT-LDR), over a 5-year period. The cohort included 695 men who met inclusion criteria and received either EBRT (n=583) or EBRT-LDR (n=112). Men who received either treatment reported clinically worse urinary irritation and bowel function through 3 years but resolved after 5 years. Men who received EBRT-LDR continued to report moderate- to-big problems with urinary function bother and frequent urination at 5 years. There was no difference in treatment-related regret or survival between patients who received either treatment.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356; HS022640.
Citation: Pasalic D, Barocas DA, Huang LC .
Five-year outcomes from a prospective comparative effectiveness study evaluating external-beam radiotherapy with or without low-dose-rate brachytherapy boost for localized prostate cancer.
Cancer 2021 Jun 1;127(11):1912-25. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33388..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Evidence-Based Practice, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Treatments
Wilt TJ, Ullman KE, Linskens EJ
Therapies for clinically localized prostate cancer: a comparative effectiveness review.
In this study, the investigators sought to identify new information evaluating clinically localized prostate cancer therapies. The investigators concluded that radical prostatectomy reduced mortality vs watchful waiting in clinically detected localized prostate cancer but caused more harms. Effectiveness may be limited to younger men and those with intermediate risk disease. Active monitoring resulted in little to no mortality difference vs radical prostatectomy or external beam radiation plus androgen deprivation.
AHRQ-funded; 290201500008I.
Citation: Wilt TJ, Ullman KE, Linskens EJ .
Therapies for clinically localized prostate cancer: a comparative effectiveness review.
J Urol 2021 Apr;205(4):967-76. doi: 10.1097/ju.0000000000001578..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Evidence-Based Practice, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Men's Health
Reisz PA, Laviana AA, Zhao Z
Assessing the quality of surgical care for clinically localized prostate cancer: results from the CEASAR study.
Prior studies suggest that nationally endorsed quality measures for prostate cancer care are not linked closely with outcomes. Using a prospective, population based cohort the investigators measured clinically relevant variation in structure, process and outcome measures in men undergoing radical prostatectomy. The authors did not identify and meaningful variation in quality of care across racial groups, age groups and surgeon volume strata, in this cohort, suggesting that men were receiving comparable quality of care across these strata.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356.
Citation: Reisz PA, Laviana AA, Zhao Z .
Assessing the quality of surgical care for clinically localized prostate cancer: results from the CEASAR study.
J Urol 2020 Dec;204(6):1236-41. doi: 10.1097/ju.0000000000001198..
Keywords: Surgery, Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Quality of Care, Quality of Life, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Comparative Effectiveness, Evidence-Based Practice
Huelster Huelster, Laviana AA, Joyce DD
Radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy: effect of timing of postprostatectomy radiation on functional outcomes.
This study sought to compare patient-reported functional outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP) and postprostatectomy radiation as well as elucidate the timing of radiation to allow optimal recovery of function. Findings showed that, in men with localized prostate cancer, post-RP radiotherapy was associated with significantly worse sexual, urinary, and bowel function domain scores at 5 years compared to RP alone. Radiation delayed for approximately 24 months after RP may be optimal for preserving erectile function compared to radiation administered closer to the time of RP.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356; HS022640.
Citation: Huelster Huelster, Laviana AA, Joyce DD .
Radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy: effect of timing of postprostatectomy radiation on functional outcomes.
Urol Oncol 2020 Dec;38(12):930.e23-30.e32. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2020.06.022..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Men's Health, Surgery, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice, Comparative Effectiveness
Erim DO, Bennett AV, Gaynes BN
Associations between prostate cancer-related anxiety and health-related quality of life.
This study followed prostate cancer patients who were enrolled in the cohort study North Cancer Prostate Cancer Comparative Effectiveness & Survivorship Study (NC ProCess) from January 2011 and June 2013. A 1-year follow-up survey was done to assess prostate cancer-related anxiety (PCRA) in the cohort. The researchers were interested in the association between PCRA and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The risk of probable depression was significantly higher in participants with clinically significant PCRA compared with those without it.
AHRQ-funded; 29020050040I.
Citation: Erim DO, Bennett AV, Gaynes BN .
Associations between prostate cancer-related anxiety and health-related quality of life.
Cancer Med 2020 Jun;9(12):4467-73. doi: 10.1002/cam4.3069..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Anxiety, Quality of Life, Men's Health, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Depression, Evidence-Based Practice
Lange JM, Laviana AA, Penson DF
Prostate cancer mortality and metastasis under different biopsy frequencies in North American active surveillance cohorts.
This study projected the comparative benefits of different active surveillance (AS) schedules in men diagnosed with prostate cancer who had Gleason score (GS) </=6 disease and risk profiles similar to those in North American AS cohorts. Results showed that, among men diagnosed with GS </=6 prostate cancer, obtaining a biopsy every 3 or 4 years appeared to be an acceptable alternative to more frequent biopsies. Reducing surveillance intensity for those who have a low risk of progression reduces the number of biopsies while preserving the benefit of more frequent schedules.
AHRQ-funded; HS022990.
Citation: Lange JM, Laviana AA, Penson DF .
Prostate cancer mortality and metastasis under different biopsy frequencies in North American active surveillance cohorts.
Cancer 2020 Feb 1;126(3):583-92. doi: 10.1002/cncr.32557..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice, Men's Health
Hoffman KE, Penson DF, Zhao Z
Patient-reported outcomes through 5 years for active surveillance, surgery, brachytherapy, or external beam radiation with or without androgen deprivation therapy for localized prostate cancer.
This study compared different treatment of men with favorable-risk prostate cancer and those with unfavorable-risk disease and their functional outcomes 5 years post-treatment. Treatment options for favorable-risk disease include active surveillance, nerve-sparing prostatectomy, external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), or low-dose-rate brachytherapy with prostatectomy being the most common. Treatment options for men with unfavorable-risk disease is prostatectomy or EBRT with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The cohort analyzed included men diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011 through 2012, accrued from 5 Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program sites and a US prostate cancer registry, using surveys through September 2017. A total of 2005 men met inclusion criteria. For men with favorable-risk disease low-dose-rate brachytherapy was associated with worse urinary irritative, and sexual and bowel function at 1 year compared with active surveillance. Nerve-sparing prostatectomy was associated with worse urinary incontinence at 5 years and sexual function at 3 years compared with active surveillance. EBRT was not associated with clinically different function changes from active surveillance at any point during the 5 years. For men with unfavorable-risk disease, EBRT with ADT was associated with lower hormonal function at 6 months, bowel function at 1 year, but better sexual function and incontinence than prostatectomy.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356; HS022640.
Citation: Hoffman KE, Penson DF, Zhao Z .
Patient-reported outcomes through 5 years for active surveillance, surgery, brachytherapy, or external beam radiation with or without androgen deprivation therapy for localized prostate cancer.
JAMA 2020 Jan 14;323(2):149-63. doi: 10.1001/jama.2019.20675..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice, Treatments, Men's Health, Adverse Events, Surgery
Mullins BT, Basak R, Broughman JR
Patient-reported sexual quality of life after different types of radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy: analysis of a population-based prospective cohort.
This study compares the effects of different types of radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy on sexual function. A population-based cohort of 835 men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer from 2011 through 2013 was recruited in collaboration with the Rapid Case Ascertainment system of the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry. They were enrolled prior to treatment and followed retrospectively using the validated Prostate Cancer Symptom Indices (PCSI) instrument. The sexual function scores were compared among patients who received the following treatment types: external-beam RT (EBRT), EBRT with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), brachytherapy, nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (RP), and non-nerve-sparing RP. The cohort was surveyed at 24 months post-therapy, and RT alone was found to result in the best preservation of sexual function with brachytherapy, RT with ADT, and nerve-sparing RP yielding similar outcomes. Patients treated with non-nerve-sparing RP experienced the worst sexual function outcome.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: Mullins BT, Basak R, Broughman JR .
Patient-reported sexual quality of life after different types of radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy: analysis of a population-based prospective cohort.
Cancer 2019 Oct 15;125(20):3657-65. doi: 10.1002/cncr.32288..
Keywords: Quality of Life, Sexual Health, Surgery, Treatments, Comparative Effectiveness, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Evidence-Based Practice
Schmidt B, Eapen RS, Cowan JE
Practice patterns of primary EBRT with and without ADT in prostate cancer treatment.
This study investigated usage of external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT), with or without neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), using data from a community-based prospective disease registry (CaPSURE). Data on 1337 men diagnosed between 1990 and 2014 with localized disease who received EBRT as primary treatment was compared. The authors conclude that use of ADT in conjunction with primary EBRT has increased in frequency and duration since 1990, and that men who received ADT have higher risk characteristics than those who receive EBRT alone.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356.
Citation: Schmidt B, Eapen RS, Cowan JE .
Practice patterns of primary EBRT with and without ADT in prostate cancer treatment.
Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 2019 Mar;22(1):117-24. doi: 10.1038/s41391-018-0084-3..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Practice Patterns, Evidence-Based Practice, Comparative Effectiveness, Outcomes, Treatments
Lee DJ, Barocas DA, Zhao Z
Contemporary prostate cancer radiation therapy in the United States: patterns of care and compliance with quality measures.
This study measured compliance with quality measures for radiation therapy treatment of prostate cancer. The Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Surgery and Radiation Study enrolled men who were treated for localized prostate cancer from 2011 and 2012. Medical records were reviewed, and patients completed surveys. Researchers concluded that men who received external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) were treated more appropriately than those treated with brachytherapy (BT). White men were also more likely to receive appropriate treatment than African-American and other minorities.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356; HS022640.
Citation: Lee DJ, Barocas DA, Zhao Z .
Contemporary prostate cancer radiation therapy in the United States: patterns of care and compliance with quality measures.
Pract Radiat Oncol 2018 Sep-Oct;8(5):307-16. doi: 10.1016/j.prro.2018.04.009..
Keywords: Cancer, Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Evidence-Based Practice, Guidelines, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Practice Patterns, Quality Measures
Tyson MD, Koyama T, Lee D
Effect of prostate cancer severity on functional outcomes after localized treatment: comparative effectiveness analysis of surgery and radiation study results.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether differences in predicted function over time between radical prostatectomy (RP) or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for localized cancer varied by risk group. Patient-reported, disease-specific function was measured using the Expanded Prostate Index Composite and predicted function was estimated using regression models, compared by disease risk. The study found that sexual function was similar between surgery and radiation for patients with high-risk disease, and the authors conclude that high-risk patients undergoing radiation therapy should be counseled that their sexual function may not be as good as low-risk patients also undergoing radiation.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356; HS022640.
Citation: Tyson MD, Koyama T, Lee D .
Effect of prostate cancer severity on functional outcomes after localized treatment: comparative effectiveness analysis of surgery and radiation study results.
Eur Urol 2018 Jul;74(1):26-33. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2018.02.012..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Treatments, Surgery, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice