{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,24]],"date-time":"2026-10-24T01:01:34Z","timestamp":1792803694764,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,27]],"date-time":"2024-02-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1708992000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Research Nova Scotia, Establishment Grant","award":["#2215\/2019"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["#2215\/2019"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00x5ftp92","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation through the Soillse Fund (DMRF)","award":["#2215\/2019"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["#2215\/2019"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01vsjtq46","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Purpose: This is a secondary analysis examining a six-month home-based Prostate Cancer-Patient Empowerment Program (PC-PEP) on patient-reported urinary, bowel, sexual, and hormonal function in men with curative prostate cancer (PC) against standard of care. Methods: In a crossover clinical trial, 128 men scheduled for PC surgery (n = 62) or radiotherapy with\/without hormones (n = 66) were randomized to PC-PEP (n = 66) or waitlist-control and received the standard of care for 6 months, and then PC-PEP to the end of the year. PC-PEP included daily emails with video instructions, aerobic and strength training, dietary guidance, stress management, and social support, with an initial PFMT nurse consultation. Over 6 months, participants in the PC-PEP received optional text alerts (up to three times daily) reminding them to follow the PFMT video program, encompassing relaxation, quick-twitch, and endurance exercises; compliance was assessed weekly. Participants completed baseline, 6, and 12-month International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) questionnaires. Results: At 6 months, men in the PC-PEP reported improved urinary bother (IPSS, p = 0.004), continence (EPIC, p &lt; 0.001), and irritation\/obstruction function (p = 0.008) compared to controls, with sustained urinary continence benefits at 12 months (p = 0.002). Surgery patients in the waitlist-control group had 3.5 (95% CI: 1.2, 10, p = 0.024) times and 2.3 (95% CI: 0.82, 6.7, p = 0.11) times higher odds of moderate to severe urinary problems compared to PC-PEP at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Conclusions: PC-PEP significantly improves lower urinary tract symptoms, affirming its suitability for clinical integration alongside established mental health benefits in men with curative prostate cancer.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers16050958","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,28]],"date-time":"2024-02-28T07:56:02Z","timestamp":1709106962000},"page":"958","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Six-Month Prostate Cancer Empowerment Program (PC-PEP) Improves Urinary Function: A Randomized Trial"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Tarek","family":"Lawen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1602-6374","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gabriela","family":"Ilie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Radiation Oncology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ross","family":"Mason","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ricardo","family":"Rendon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jesse","family":"Spooner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emmi","family":"Champion","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jessica","family":"Davis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-1962-6635","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cody","family":"MacDonald","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2857-6840","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael J.","family":"Kucharczyk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology, Queens University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nikhilesh","family":"Patil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiation Oncology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Bowes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiation Oncology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Greg","family":"Bailly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Bell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joseph","family":"Lawen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Derek","family":"Wilke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiation Oncology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"George","family":"Kephart","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"},{"name":"School of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"},{"name":"School of Nursing, Ume\u00e5 University, 901 87 Ume\u00e5, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Robert David Harold","family":"Rutledge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiation Oncology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Leslie, S.W., Soon-Sutton, T.L., Anu, R.I., Sajjad, H., and Skelton, W.P. 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