Volume 186 - Issue 3
The psychosocial impact of prostate cancer on patients and their partners
Authors: James A Smith, Shaun M Filiault, Murray J Drummond and Robert J Knapman
Med J Aust 2007; 186 (3): 159-160. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb00849.x
Published online: 5 February 2007
Published online: 5 February 2007
To the Editor: We read with interest the article by Couper et al on the psychosocial impact of prostate cancer (PCA) on patients and their female partners.1 We agree that involvement of partners in the research pro-cess is pivotal to understanding the relational dimension of how PCA is both understood and approached by men and their partners.2
However, this could be extended to consider the unique experiences of gay men diagnosed with PCA and their partners. Heteronormative viewpoints are commonplace in PCA research. This bias is unfortunate, as there is a 28% possibility that one of the men in a gay relationship will develop PCA over the course of his lifetime.3
While it is probable that gay men and their partners have some of the same concerns regarding PCA as heterosexual couples, there are also unique concerns that are specific to gay men and their partners. Such considerations may include (but are not limited to):
the prostate gland as a site of sexual pleasure and the associated implications of being able to engage in penetrative anal sex after prostate surgery;4
homophobia and/or disregard for sexuality within the health care system5 when being diagnosed with and treated for PCA; and
the impact of polygamous (open) relationships and the ambiguous position of gay partners having to care for their mates.4
At this stage, the above concerns are purely speculative, as there is a paucity of literature on gay men and PCA.4,6 We believe future research on the psychosocial impacts of PCA should consider the experiences and special concerns of gay men with PCA, as well as those of their partners.
References
- Couper JW, Bloch S, Love A, et al. The psychosocial impact of prostate cancer on patients and their partners. Med J Aust 2006; 185: 428-432.
- Couper J, Bloch S, Love A, et al. Psychosocial adjustment of female partners of men with prostate cancer: a review of the literature. Psychooncology 2006; 15: 937-953. 0_i1091805
- Santillo VM, Lowe FC. Prostate cancer and the gay male. In: Perlman G, Drescher J, editors. A gay man’s guide to prostate cancer. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press, 2005: 9-27. 0_i1091807
- Blank TO. Gay men and prostate cancer: invisible diversity. J Clin Oncol 2005; 23: 2593-2596. 0_i1091809
- Hinchliff S, Gott M, Galena E. “I daresay I might find it embarrassing”: general practitioners’ perspectives on discussing sexual health issues with lesbian and gay patients. Health Soc Care Community 2005; 13: 345-353. 0_i1091811
- Perlman G, Drescher J. A gay man’s guide to prostate cancer. J Gay Lesbian Psychotherapy 2005; 9(1/2): 1-179. 0_i1091814
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