Long-term effects of doxazosin, finasteride and combination therapy on quality of life in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia

Purpose: We examined the effects of doxazosin, finasteride and combination therapy among men with benign prostatic hyperplasia on quality of life assessed with MOS-SF-36 (Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36) and 2 disease specific instruments (BII, benign prostatic hyperplasia Impact Index and I-PSS-QoL, International Prostate Symptom Score-QoL) during 4 years. Materials and Methods: The MTOPS (Medical Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms) study was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial with a primary outcome of time to benign prostatic hyperplasia progression. Change in quality of life was a secondary outcome. A total of 2,872 men enrolled in the MTOPS study who had 3 baseline quality of life measures and at least 1 followup measure by any of the quality of life instruments were analyzed. Results: Compared with men assigned to placebo, men assigned to doxazosin and combination experienced a statistically significant improvement in the BII at year 4. Men assigned to each of the drug groups also experienced a significant improvement in the I-PSS-QoL compared with those assigned to placebo. Considering longitudinal changes during 4 years, a significant improvement in BII and I-PSS-QoL scores was observed in men assigned to the drug groups compared with those assigned to placebo. However, there were no significant differences for the MOS-SF-36 subscales and summary scores when drug groups were compared with the placebo group. Conclusions: The quality of life of men treated with doxazosin, finasteride, and the drugs combined generally improved when assessed with the BII and the I-PSS-QoL compared with those treated with placebo. Quality of life did not show improvement when measured by the MOS-SF-36.