Men’s experiences of surviving testicular cancer: an integrated literature review

Abstract

To synthesize literature in order to elucidate the experiences of men who have survived testicular cancer and determine their quality of life following treatment. Methods An integrated review sought appropriate literature by utilising a keyword search across seven databases. Retrieved studies were appraised for quality, with two qualitative, twelve quantitative, and two mixed method studies deemed appropriate for this review. The data were extracted and aggregated into categories by way of a thematic analysis. The themes were: personal challenges and impact on health, psychological and emotive challenges, perception of reproduction and sexual changes, and outlook and support. Results Men experienced physical, emotional, and sexual difficulties. Some men believed they were infertile, despite evidence that fertility is not compromised in the long term. Psychological conditions can be exacerbated by cultural pressures to conceive and cultural expressions about male identity. Men who had undergone orchidectomy reported minimal impact on their mental health than the men who had chemotherapy or radiotherapy as part of their treatment modality. Sexual dysfunction caused by chemotherapy-associated side effects was detrimental to men's quality of life. In addition, men who had a partner, who were employed, and who had children were able to adjust better after treatment than those who did not. Provision of clear and honest information post-treatment helped testicular cancer survivors return to their normal lives. Conclusions The evidence from the review suggests that the burden of disease for testicular cancer survivors is overall low. Men who had surgical intervention and were treated for testicular cancer experienced minimal impact on their mental health status than the men who had chemotherapy or radiotherapy as part of their treatment modality. Implications for Cancer Survivors There is a need to provide appropriate referrals to the relevant services, including psychosocial support, and the development of more adequate communication resources for men following treatment for testicular cancer.

An Updated Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies Assessing Anxiety, Depression, Fear of Cancer Recurrence or Psychological Distress in Testicular Cancer Survivors

“…They may also worry about dealing with common life challenges that young and middle-aged men already face (eg, establishing a family and career) in combination with the body image, sexuality and fertility issues that come with TC. [5][6][7] More efforts are needed to determine patient characteristics that increase the risk of higher anxiety scores. One small fair-quality study found anxiety was associated with sexual confidence and functioning, and cognitiveemotional regulation.…”

“…1,4 The burden and risk of treatment side effects are generally higher for those who received chemotherapy. 4 TC survivors are often concerned about sexuality, fertility, body image and male identity [5][6][7] which can impact survivor's quality of life. For instance, a recent study found that at least 26% of TC patients experienced sexual dysfunction and 28% had significant reproductive concerns.…”

“…The adjustment to the cancer experience can also be impacted by a number of variables, including having children, and marital and employment status. 5,6 Interestingly, a study showed that at least 20% of TC survivors needed psychological support due to the cancer experience even after 7-10 years post-treatment. 9 Distress, anxiety and depression in TC survivors have been studied in the last few decades.…”

Assessing Health-Related Quality of Life Among Survivors of Testicular Cancer: A Systematic Review

“…This idea is supported in the TC-specific HRQoL literature by the works of Smith et al (2016) and Alexis et al (2020). Those specific studies offer a perspective of multidimensionality related to TC-related HRQoL instead of the traditional unidimensional approach to measuring QoL among survivors of TC, such as Luckett et al’s (2008) study that called for continued use of the SF-36.…”

So, now what?: Reflections on socioeconomic factors, testicular cancer, and health care accessibility

“…However, not all systems are created equal. We know that different options for treatment, the quality of those treatments, and even physician/staff expertise and skillsets differ between systems 3 . We cannot, therefore, assume that all networks could execute this approach, particularly for a rare disease such as TCa.…”