Patients with prostate cancer (PCa) were grouped into three surgical arms: BSO (bilateral simple orchidectomy), BSCO (bilateral subcapsular orchidectomy) and BESO (bilateral epididymal-sparing orchidectomy). Preoperatively, baseline serum testosterone, PSA, Quality of life (QoL) and pre-operative testicular volumes were obtained. Timed interval sampling for serum testosterone and PSA variation was done post-operatively. By three months post-op, the cosmetic appeal of the scrotal appearance, post-operative pseudotesticular volumes and QoL were also assessed.
The therapeutic efficacy of the surgeries was determined by the rates of decline of serum testosterone and PSA, as well as the nadirs achieved. The variations in the pre-and post-operative QoL was analysed.