Quality of life and persisting symptoms after oesophageal cancer surgery

Citation

Viklund P, Wengstrom Y, Rouvelas I, Lindblad M & Lagergren J (2006) Quality of life and persisting symptoms after oesophageal cancer surgery. European Journal of Cancer, 42 (10), pp. 1407-1414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2006.02.005

Abstract
To assess quality of life (QoL) and symptoms after oesophageal cancer surgery, a prospective nationwide population-based study was conducted in 2001–2005, including most surgically treated oesophageal cancer patients in Sweden. Six months postoperatively patients responded to an EORTC quality of life core questionnaire (QLQ C-30) with an oesophageal-specific module (OES-18). Mean scores were calculated. Mann-Whitney test was used for group comparisons. Among 282 patients, QoL was considerably reduced compared to a reference general population (P < 0.001), and functioning scales were similarly negatively affected; particularly role (P < 0.001) and social (P < 0.001) functions. Younger patients scored worse than older. No gender differences were found. Dominating general symptoms included fatigue, appetite loss, diarrhoea, and dyspnoea, each significantly more pronounced than the general population (P < 0.001). Eating problems, cough, reflux, and oesophageal pain were common oesophageal-specific symptoms. Thus, patients who undergo oesophageal cancer resection suffer greatly from reduced QoL and several general and oesophageal-specific symptoms six months postoperatively.

Keywords
Questionnaires; EORTC; QLQ-C 30; QLQ-OES 18; Oesophagectomy; Cardia cancer; Esophagus Cancer; Esophagus Surgery; Quality of life; Cancer Complications

Journal
European Journal of Cancer: Volume 42, Issue 10