Objectives: To determine the responsiveness of the University of California-Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index (UCLA-PCI) by studying its sensitivity to clinically perceptible changes in health over time in men treated for localized prostate cancer.
Methods: All subjects underwent radical prostatectomy (n=253), external beam radiotherapy (n=66), or interstitial seed brachytherapy (n=73). We assessed health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes using the UCLA-PCI to capture disease-specific outcomes and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 to study general HRQOL. We assessed the UCLA-PCI's responsiveness to change by comparison with the health change item of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36. We measured responsiveness by calculating effect sizes and Guyatt statistics when comparing UCLA-PCI scores between baseline and 1 year and between 1 and 2 years.
Results: Of the 475 men who completed all baseline questionnaires, 392 (83%) completed all surveys at 12-month follow-up. Although sexual function decreased from baseline to 12 months in all groups, the magnitude of the negative change was inversely proportional to general health. For those whose general health worsened, effect sizes were >0.50 across all 6 domains. Effect sizes and Guyatt statistics were lowest (<0.25) for urinary bother, bowel function, and bowel bother in the groups demonstrating either no change or improvement in general health. Responsiveness of the UCLA-PCI in the short-term recovery period (12 months post-treatment) was better than in the chronic recovery phase (12-24 months) across almost all domains.
Conclusions: The UCLA-PCI is responsive to change in assessing HRQOL in men treated for prostate cancer.