{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T23:14:48Z","timestamp":1769555688105,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769472000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Epidemiologia"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies globally; depending on the treatment strategy used, erectile dysfunction (ED) is a frequently reported adverse outcome among PC patients. The current study evaluated ED prevalence among Pakistani PC patients and its effects on physical, psychological, and social well-being, aiming to address critical gaps in survivorship care for this population. Methods: A cross-sectional, multicenter, observational, questionnaire-based study was conducted in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan, from February to April 2025. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among PC patients was measured using the Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36), while ED prevalence and severity were assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) instrument. Results: Among N = 400 PC patients, surgical treatments predominated (radical prostatectomy: 61.0%; n = 244), while hormonal (androgen-deprivation therapy: 31.5%; n = 126) and chemotherapy (23.3%; n = 93) were also commonly utilized. ED experience was high among PC patients in the erectile function (40.8%; n = 163) and in the intercourse satisfaction (45.0%; n = 180) domains; these showed moderately strong and significant positive correlations across all SF-36 domains, particularly physical functioning (r = 0.52; p &lt; 0.001) and social functioning (r = 0.49; p &lt; 0.001). Regression analysis confirmed sexual function domains explained 60% of HRQoL variance (adjusted R2 = 0.60). Conclusions: This study reveals high rates of treatment-related ED\u2014and its biopsychosocial impact\u2013among Pakistani PC patients, with significant negative impacts on HRQoL. The findings underscore the urgent need to integrate sexual health management into standard oncological care practices to improve holistic patient outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/epidemiologia7010017","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T09:05:27Z","timestamp":1769504727000},"page":"17","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Erectile Dysfunction and Its Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life in Prostate Cancer Patients: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study from Pakistan"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4605-5501","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mateen","family":"Abbas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1270-0365","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M\u00e1ri\u00f3","family":"Gajd\u00e1cs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Albert Szent-Gy\u00f6rgyi Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Georgina","family":"Balogh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of Experimental and Preventive Medicine, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sana","family":"Ahmed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, The University of Lahore, Lahore 54000, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rabia","family":"Mahfooz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0928-8242","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abad","family":"Khan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, University of Swab, Swabi 23531, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1700","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(23)00406-0","article-title":"Quantitative estimates of preventable and treatable deaths from 36 cancers worldwide: A population-based study","volume":"11","author":"Frick","year":"2023","journal-title":"Lancet Glob. 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