Quality of life after surgical therapy of bronchogenic carcinoma

Abstract

Quality of life (QL) after the "curative" resection of non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma was assessed by patients using the EORTC QL questionnaire (QLQ) and by a psychologist using the Spitzer Index. Quality of life was assessed in 52 patients on one occasion 12 months postoperatively and in 20 patients regularly starting with a preoperative assessment. Self- and external evaluation showed a significant correlation (r = 0.41), but QL was assessed as being higher by the external observer. After surgery it was mainly affected by restrictions related to physical activities, job and household tasks, and disease symptoms, whereas limitations in emotional, social, and financial domains were found less frequently and less severely. Of the different medical (surgical procedures, tumor recurrence) and social factors (sex, marital and employment status), only tumor recurrence was determined to have a significant and negative influence on postoperative QL (P < 0.02). When compared to the preoperative assessment, QL had deteriorated on discharge from hospital but was restored within 3-6 months postoperatively in disease-free patients.

Avaliação da função pulmonar e da qualidade de vida em pacientes submetidos à ressecção pulmonar por neoplasia

“…(20) The authors found that, compared with preoperative values, QoL is lower in the immediate postoperative period but is restored by that pulmonary function worsened in all of the patients evaluated (Table 1).…”

Quality of life following thoracotomy for lung cancer

“…Zieren et al 12 assessed QoL in 20 lung cancer patients 1 day before surgery, postoperatively on the day of discharge from hospital and at 3-month intervals thereafter until the end of the first postoperative year (6 times) using the EORTC QLQ-C30. The external evaluation was made by a psychologist using the Spitzer Index.…”

Quality of life after tailored combined surgery for stage I non–small-cell lung cancer and severe emphysema

“…Dales and colleagues [12] reported that HRQOL deteriorated early after thoracotomy and returned to preoperative status since 6 months postoperatively. Zieren and colleagues [11] also reported that the postoperative deterioration of HRQOL was mainly affected by restrictions related to physical activities, job and household tasks, and disease symptoms, while limitations in emotional and social domains were less frequent and less severe. In addition, Nou and Aberg [23] reported that HRQOL was better in 5-year surviving patients and poorer in those receiving nonresectional thoracotomy.…”

“…Health-related quality of life is one of the primary outcome measures in evaluating LVR and is now recognized as an important measure also in patients with lung cancer [11][12][13].…”

“…Initial reports have suggested that significant clinical improvements can occur after LVR combined with NSCLC resection [11][12][13] while no study has yet investigated the effect of combined surgery on HRQOL.…”