Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Few details were given, apart from saying that studies had to report data on primary discrete data sets and had to present known pre-treatment sexual functioning status in order to be included. Most of the included studies appear to be case series.
Specific interventions included in the review
External beam radiotherapy, radical prostatectomy (standard or nerve-sparing) and cryotherapy. Reports of patients receiving hormone therapy were excluded.
Participants included in the review
Men undergoing treatment for carcinoma of the prostate, known to have normal erectile functioning before treatment, were included.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Rates of normal erectile functioning (defined as one of the following: ability to maintain an erection sufficient for intercourse; ability to have intercourse to either ejaculation or orgasm; ability to have a maintainable erection; ability to have an erection sufficient for ejaculation; also, functioning in terms of scale scores and physiological measurement were reported in some studies). The time for assessment of erectile functioning ranged from 3 months to 16 years after treatment.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the authors performed the selection.