Impact of postoperative sexual function on health-related quality of life after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy

Abstract Background We investigated potential disparities in health-related quality of life, particularly concerning urinary function, between patients with preserved and those with impaired sexual function after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Materials and methods Between December 2012 and April 2020, 704 men underwent RARP in our hospital. This study included 155 patients with a preoperative 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) of ≥12 points and an assessable IIEF-5 at 12 months postoperatively. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the 8-item Short-Form Health Survey and Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) preoperatively and at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. A logistic regression analysis and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were performed. Results Patients were grouped according to the median IIEF-5 score 12 months after surgery: those with preserved sexual function ( n = 71) and those with impaired sexual function ( n = 84). The mental component summary of the 8-item Short-Form Health Survey was better in the group with preserved sexual function at 6 months postoperatively than in the group with impaired sexual function ( p < 0.01). In the EPIC, the group with preserved sexual function performed better not only in the sexual domain but also in the urinary domain at all time points compared with the group with impaired sexual function ( p < 0.01). In the comparison of the urinary subdomains of the EPIC, there were no significant differences in urinary function or incontinence, but there were significant differences in urinary distress and irritative/obstructive scores ( p < 0.01). Conclusions Patients with preserved postoperative sexual function after RARP showed better urinary function than those with impaired sexual function. Hence, preserved sexual function is closely associated with urinary function.