NURSES' ROLE IN CARING FOR MEN WITH PROSTATE CANCER

Abstract

Prostate cancer is a significant public health problem, being the second most prevalent cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death in men in 2020. The high incidence and impacts on patients' quality of life highlight the need for comprehensive and individualized supportive care, justifying research on the role of nurses in this context. This study aims to identify the role of nurses in the monitoring and treatment of men with prostate cancer, describe their activities in caring for these patients and analyze how they contribute to diagnosis and treatment, in addition to understanding the challenges faced. To this end, a systematic literature review was carried out using the PICO strategy to formulate the research question and guide the search for relevant articles. The search covered publications in the last five years (2019-2024) in Portuguese, using the PubMed, SciELO, Cochrane and BVS databases. In total, 22 articles were analyzed, the majority (81.81%) coming from the BVS database. The results revealed three main areas of nursing practice: (1) patient-centered care, with specific protocols that meet individual needs; (2) health education for early detection, disease management, and health promotion; and (3) auxiliary practices, such as preparation for hospital discharge, sexuality support, and self-care guidance.