Opera Fans Experience Worse Than Expected Side Effects of Prostate Cancer Treatment
Largo, FL (PRWEB) May 07, 2014 -- In a survey of more than 200 men with prostate cancer and their caregivers, BioDerm found that opera fans were more than 40% more likely than non-opera fans to report that their side effects after prostate cancer treatment were “worse” or “much worse” than expected. By comparison, fans of classical music, country, pop and rap did not display any correlation with side effects. And blues music fans were only 20% more likely to report worse side effects.
“It’s way too soon to establish a definitive link,” says statistician and VP of Technology, Steve Babb. “But it’s definitely an interesting correlation. I’m not sure I’ll be putting on any Puccini anytime soon, just in case!”
There are more than 2.5 million men in the US who’ve been diagnosed prostate cancer during their lifetimes. According to the American Cancer Society more than 200,000 men are diagnosed and nearly 30,000 men die of prostate cancer every year.
For survivors, the most common complications of prostate cancer treatment are erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. According to the same survey, 46% of prostate cancer survivors reported dealing with ongoing urinary incontinence. This number is much higher than you see in physician reported studies which typically list a 5-8% incontinence rate.
“The root of this inconsistency is unknown,” says Babb. “Based on our client’s experiences, we believe that it may be that physicians and patients define incontinence differently – and that can vastly change the numbers. We’ll have to do a follow up evaluation to find out for sure.”
“It’s was a very surprising connection to us. It definitely wasn’t what we went in looking for,” said BioDerm CEO, Gary Damkoehler. “We started this because we talk to hundreds of prostate cancer survivors on a monthly basis and we wanted to know what connected them. For us, it’s all about knowing who our clients are and how we can best reach them. So we looked for any connection that can help our patients and healthcare professionals better understand life after prostate cancer.”
BioDerm has been working with incontinence patients for nearly ten years, trying to help them find a better way to manage this serious condition. BioDerm is the manufacturer of Men’s Liberty, a male external collection device designed especially for community dwelling men who want to be active throughout their golden years. You can find more info here: http://www.BioDermInc.com. For full survey results, please contact swoodward(at)bioderminc(dot)com.
Sarah Woodward, BioDerm, Inc., http://www.bioderminc.com, +1 (727) 507-7655 Ext: 2019, [email protected]
Share this article