Long-Term Trends in Decisional Regret Among Men with Localized Prostate Cancer

Purpose: There are several evidence-based treatment options for localized prostate cancer (PCa). Decisional regret (DR), or regret based on the treatment a patient chooses, is poorly understood in patients with PCa. We describe long-term trends in DR for patients with localized PCa and factors associated with regret. Materials and Methods: We surveyed an established prospective cohort of patients with PCa in North Carolina who were diagnosed between 2011 and 2013. DR was assessed by a validated instrument at 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, and 120 months after treatment or active surveillance (AS). We estimated the overall trend of DR and examined how DR was associated with treatment and demographic data using generalized linear mixed-model regressions. Results: The sample included 1456 men. At 12 months, 88% (n = 1100) of patients did not regret their treatment. With all time points included, DR increased slightly in early months and the speed of increase slowed over time ( P = .003 for time, .02 for time-squared). Divorced men were more likely to have DR compared with married men (odds ratio OR = 1.5; 95% confidence interval CI 0.9-2.7). African Americans (OR = 1.5; 95% CI 1.0-2.1) and those who underwent surgery had significantly more regret (14.6%; 95% CI 11.3-18.0, P = .01) than patients of other racial groups or who underwent AS, respectively. Conclusions: Although DR is low overall in this cohort, being married and AS were associated with lower regret than those who were not married or who underwent surgery, respectively. Understanding factors that affect DR can guide urologists to more effectively direct resources and counseling.