ProsCan for Couples: Randomised controlled trial of a couples-based sexuality intervention for men with localised prostate cancer who receive radical prostatectomy

Seventy couples per condition (210 couples in total) will be recruited after diagnosis and before treatment through urology private practices and hospital outpatient clinics and randomised to (1) usual care; (2) eight sessions of peer-delivered telephone support with DVD education; and (3) eight sessions of oncology nurse-delivered telephone counselling with DVD education. Two intervention sessions will be delivered before surgery and six over the six months post-surgery. The intervention will utilise a cognitive behavioural approach along with couple relationship education focussed on relationship enhancement and helping the couple to conjointly manage the stresses of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Participants will be assessed at baseline (before surgery) and 3, 6 and 12 months post-surgery. Outcome measures include: sexual adjustment; unmet sexuality supportive care needs; attitudes to sexual help seeking; psychological adjustment; benefit finding and quality of life.The study will provide recommendations about the efficacy of peer support vs. nurse counselling to facilitate better sexual and couple adjustment after prostate cancer as well as recommendations on whether the interventions represent efficient health service delivery.ACTRN12608000358347Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer and second most common cause of cancer death in men in the Western world (excluding non melanoma skin cancer). In Australia, 1 in 11 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime (0–74 years) and 1 in 82 will die from the disease [1]. In 2003 there were 13,526 Australian men diagnosed with prostate cancer with this number expected to increase to over 18,000 for 2006 [2]. Improved survival from prostate cancer has been demonstrated worldwide [3]. Around half of all newly diagnosed men are predicted to be alive 15 years after diagnosis [3] such that the large cohort of men living with the consequences of diagnosis and treatment is increasing.The most frequent