Correlative and Translational Research

non-ejaculatory orgasms and reduced penis size were associated with reports of emotional distress. Many of these changes have particular significance in the context of gay sex and gay identities, and can result in feelings of exclusion from a sexual community central to many GB men’s lives. The nature of GB relationships, wherein many men are single, engage in casual sex, or have concurrent partners, also suggests that the relational context within which men negotiate sexual changes after prostate cancer may be different from the majority of heterosexual men. Researchers and clinicians need to be aware of the meaning and consequences of sexual changes for GB men with prostate cancer when designing studies to examine the impact of prostate cancer on men’s sexuality, advising GB men of the sexual consequences of prostate cancer, and providing information and support to ameliorate sexual changes.

Our second paper examines health related quality of life (HRQoL), psychological distress, and sexual changes since the onset of prostate cancer. Predictors of HRQoL were examined in a comparative study of GB and heterosexual men with PCa using a range of validated psychosocial instruments. Compared to age-matched population norms, participants in both groups reported lower HRQoL and sexual functioning, increased psychological distress, disruptions to dyadic sexual communication, and lower masculine self-esteem, sexual confidence, and sexual intimacy. In comparison to heterosexual men, GB men reported significantly lower HRQOL and masculine selfesteem; higher psychological and cancer related distress; and higher sexual functioning, sexual confidence and ejaculatory bother. No differences were found between the two groups on sexual intimacy, sexual bother and sexual communication. Psychological distress was a significant predictor of HRQoL for both groups, with cancer related distress and sexual HRQoL also being predictors for GB men, and sexual confidence a predictor for heterosexual men. These findings confirm the impact on of prostate cancer on HRQoL, across a range of domains, and suggest that sexual dysfunction after prostate cancer may have a greater impact on GB men’s HRQoL, due to specific meanings associated with sexual changes within the context of gay sex.

Through further publications, the implications of these findings for understanding GB men’s unique needs in the sphere of prostate cancer, as well as for service provision and policy guidelines, will be discussed. The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and University of Western Sydney would like to thank all ANZUP members involved in referring participants to this study.

SUZANNE CHAMBERS Chair, Quality of Life and Supportive Care Committee

Biospecimens (tissue and blood) for translational research continue to be collected from patients from several ANZUP trials: P3BEP (germ-cell tumours), Bl.12 (urothelial cancer) for future translational research projects.

Collection of biospecimens from the prostate cancer trials ENZAMET and ENZARD also continues. A review of the collection process at ~10% ANZ hospital sites for each of these trials is underway. The ENZAMET and ENZARAD Translational Research Steering Committee had a teleconference in October with its members from different disciplines across the participating countries. Opportunities for ENZA trials biospecimens to join translational studies of several large international prostate clinical trials - E3805 and RTOG 92.02 were considered. This would be a valuable research collaboration in the areas genomics and androgen / metabolic / bone turnover biomarkers.

Updates of these ongoing trials and translational research activity were presented at the ANZUP ASM earlier this year and will also be have poster presentations at COSA 2015 in Hobart in November.

PAUL DE SOUZA Chair, Correlative and Translational Research Committee

Report by Sonia Yip, Senior Translational Research Fellow and Manager; NHMRC CTC.