OBJECTIVES: The issue of health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) of prostate cancer patients has gained prominence. We hypothesized that disparities exist in the types of individuals who have been studied and reported, relative to the actual cancer population. METHODS: Were searched MEDLINE, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, and Current Contents from January 1, 1998-July 2004 using the MeSH subheadings “prostatic-neoplasms” and “quality of life” and the keywords, “prostate cancer” and “quality of life.” Articles were selected if they met the following inclusion criteria: English language literature, original research, publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Articles were excluded for the following reasons: fewer than 10 patients studied; no HRQOL instrument used; editorial or review; developmental studies; unstructured or open-ended interviews used as primary data collection. RESULTS: 293 articles met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies originated from 23 countries; the United States producing the majority (52%) followed by Canada (8%) and the UK (7%). A total of 79,882 patients participated in these studies (average: 274 patients per study). One hundred eighty-three studies (68%) reported the mean age of the cohort; but reporting of other demographic information was modest overall. Among studies recording race, 82% of study participants were white, 6% were black and less than 1% were Hispanic white or Asian. Blacks were represented in very few studies with 2057 (41%) included in four studies. Eighty-six different types of HRQOL instruments were recorded. The most common included the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (26%), the SF-36 (25%), and the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index (20%). CONCLUSIONS: Many HRQOL studies of prostate cancer patients have been published, but the data quality and reporting varies widely. Racial minorities are underrepresented relative to their proportions in most populations.