Bekele Deborah, Martínez-Hernáez Angel
Department of Anthropology, Philosophy, and Social Work, Medical Anthropology Research Center, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain.
Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being. 2025 Dec;20(1):2436720. doi: 10.1080/17482631.2024.2436720. Epub 2024 Dec 24.
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer among men. Despite advancements in clinical interventions and improvements in public health outreach, a multi-dimensional lack of understanding of the lived experiences of men diagnosed with PCa continues. Improving the quantity and quality of knowledge about this subject could guide clinical decisions and interventions for this group.
This paper reviews qualitative studies focusing on PCa patients using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool (CASP), synthesizes the data, and maps the overarching themes through a systematic meta-synthesis.
The authors identified 3546 manuscripts, of which 103 met the inclusion criteria. Six themes were identified that addressed: support needs, diagnosis, and treatment experiences, lived experiences, information accessibility, care, and threats to masculinity.
Treatment side-effects caused a re-configuration and re-evaluation of masculine ideologies. Men mainly relied on close family and support groups to cope with their feelings of stigma, uncertainty, and recovery. Professional healthcare and consultation quality eased their anxiety concerning long-term treatment and other factors associated with their condition. The studies were socio-demographically heterogeneous. Thus, researchers could use qualitative research to explore knowledge gaps in the following interconnected themes: masculinity care, masculinity support, masculinity information, and incorporating a more diverse socio-demographical sample.
前列腺癌（PCa）是男性中第二常见的癌症。尽管临床干预取得了进展，公共卫生宣传也有所改善，但对于被诊断患有前列腺癌的男性的生活经历，仍然存在多方面的理解不足。提高关于这一主题的知识数量和质量可以指导针对该群体的临床决策和干预措施。
本文使用批判性评估技能计划工具（CASP）对聚焦前列腺癌患者的定性研究进行综述，综合数据，并通过系统的元综合梳理总体主题。
作者识别出3546篇手稿，其中103篇符合纳入标准。确定了六个主题，涉及：支持需求、诊断和治疗经历、生活经历、信息可及性、护理以及对男性气质的威胁。
治疗副作用导致了男性意识形态的重新构建和重新评估。男性主要依靠亲密的家庭和支持团体来应对他们的耻辱感、不确定性和康复问题。专业医疗保健和咨询质量缓解了他们对长期治疗及与病情相关的其他因素的焦虑。这些研究在社会人口统计学上具有异质性。因此，研究人员可以利用定性研究来探索以下相互关联主题中的知识空白：男性气质护理、男性气质支持、男性气质信息，并纳入更多样化的社会人口统计学样本。
