Gay and bisexual men can have specific sexual roles and developing prostate cancer and undergoing treatment may compromise their ability to perform their sexual role. The main themes that emerged were sexual impact, physical and psychological difficulties, challenges to intimacy, and support mechanisms. The six studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected and reviewed for quality and the extracted data were then synthesized. Titles and abstracts were checked by two reviewers. Empirical research published in peer reviewed journals between January 1990 and January 2018 were identified in six databases: CINAHL, Cochrane, Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science. The focus of this meta-synthesis is to explore gay and bisexual men’s experiences of prostate cancer posttreatment.
Studies suggest that gay and bisexual men are affected by the psychological aspects of prostate cancer treatment differently than that of heterosexual men however the data have not yet been synthesized.
