Are there specific health-related factors that can accentuate the risk of suicide among men with prostate cancer?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore if there were some specific factors pertinent to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) that could affect self-experienced suicide ideation in men with prostate cancer (PCa). METHODS: Questionnaires containing 45 items were distributed to members of the Swedish Prostate Cancer Federation in May 2012. Out of 6,400 distributed questionnaires, 3,165 members (50 %) with PCa completed the questionnaires. Those members expressed their experienced HRQoL and experienced suicide ideation using VAS-like scales as well as multiple-choice questions. Both descriptive and analytical statistical methods were employed. A regression model was used to explore the relationship between experienced health-related quality of life and experienced suicide ideation. RESULTS: Generally, the respondents rated their self-experienced health-related quality of life as good. About 40 % of the participants had experienced problem with incontinence, and 23 % had obstructions during miction. About 7 % of the respondents experienced suicidal ideation, at least sometime. The regression model showed statistically significant relationships between suicide ideation, on the one hand, and lower self-rated health-related quality of life (P < 0.001), physical pain (P = 0.04), pain during miction (P = 0.03), and low-rated mental / physical energy (P = 0.03), on the other. CONCLUSION: It is quite necessary to know which specific disease and treatment-related problems can trigger suicide ideations in men with prostate cancer and to try to direct treatment, care, and psychosocial resources to alleviate these problems in time.