456. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND FRAILTY AS PART OF HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENT IN ESOPHAGEAL CANCER SURVIVORS AFTER CURATIVE ESOPHAGECTOMY

Abstract

Abstract Background Survival rates for patients with esophageal cancer are improving, resulting in an increasing population of esophageal cancer survivors. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment but has a high risk of post-operative morbidity. This study aimed to characterise health related quality of life with a specific focus on physical activity and frailty assessment within an esophageal cancer survivor population. Methods This was a cross-sectional cohort study of patients who underwent esophageal cancer surgery between 2010 and 2015. A multicomponent questionnaire was distributed to disease-free patients at least one year post completion of treatment. Linear and logistic regression analyses were utilised to determine the impact of treatment and pathologic variables on physical activity and frailty. Results On multivariable analysis, age was a significant predictor of level of physical activity (P = 0.001). Male sex, critical care length of stay and eating symptoms were independent predictors of frailty in both the PRISMA7 and SARCF tools (all P < 0.001). Inpatient length of stay (P < 0.001) and persistent eating symptoms following treatment (P < 0.001) were both predictive of physical function following completion of treatment. Conclusion Curative esophagectomy can have significant effects on patients physical function, levels of physical activity and risk of frailty. Current methods of assessing health related quality of life in esophageal cancer survivorship may under-investigate the effects of curative esophagectomy on physical activity and frailty. Further research is warranted to investigate how patient pathways can be enhanced to minimise the long-term health-related quality of life impact of curative treatment.