Psychological Characteristics and Quality of Life of Patients with Penile Cancer: Pilot Study on a Russian Sample

Research into the psychological aspects of oncological diseases is nowadays relevant and widespread; however, there are very few studies in patients with penile cancer (PC). Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study is to investigate the psychological characteristics and quality of life of patients with PC for further organization of psychological counseling. The study included 17 male patients (mean age 49.0 ± 3.76 years) of the N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology. The following techniques were used: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Big Five Inventory (BFI), Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), Purpose in Life Test (PLT), Quality of Life of Cancer Patients (EORTC QLQ-C30). The patients’ overall health status was assessed by D.A. Karnofsky’s scale; a specific psychological structured interview was also conducted. The emotional state of most patients is characterized by low indexes of anxiety and depression. Most of them are purposeful, organized, emotionally stable, unwilling to form trusting relationships. They have high rates of life meaningfulness, a normative level of internality and a decreased “purpose in life” indicator. The patients are not prone to active and conscious overcoming stress compared to healthy men. The indexes of quality of life, as well as the rates of its specific parameters (cognitive, physical and emotional activity) in the studied group of patients exceed the same values in patients with different tumor localizations and are not consistent with the objectively estimated condition. Health-related quality of life is largely determined by the characteristics of patients’ value system, especially in oncological diseases that are related not only to a vital threat, but also to deep personal experiences, including the experience of patients’ male identity.