Abstract

To assess the impact of lymphadenectomy and lymphoedema of the lower limbs (LLL) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) 1 year after surgery for endometrial cancer (EC). Prospective longitudinal cohort multicentre study. Departments of obstetrics and gynaecology at four university hospitals, six central hospitals and four county hospitals in Sweden. Two-hundred-and-thirty-five women with early stage EC were included; 116 with high-risk EC underwent surgery including lymphadenectomy (+LA), and 119 with low-risk EC had surgery without lymphadenectomy (-LA). The generic SF-36 and EQ-5D-3L and the lymphoedema-specific LYMQOL questionnaire were used to assess HRQoL. LLL was assessed by systematic circumferential measurements of the legs enabling volume estimation, clinical evaluation and patient-reported perception of leg swelling. All assessments were carried out on four occasions; preoperatively, and 4-6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year postoperatively. HRQoL scores. No significant differences were seen in HRQoL between the +LA and -LA groups 1 year postoperatively. Irrespective of method of determining LLL, women with LLL were significantly more affected in the LYMQOL domains Function, Appearance/body image and Physical symptoms, but not in the domain Emotion/mood, than women without LLL. No such differences were seen in the generic HRQoL or in the LYMQOL global score between the groups with and without LLL. Lymphadenectomy did not seem to affect generic HRQoL adversely. Irrespective of the method of measuring, LLL affected the lymphoedema-specific HRQoL negatively, mainly in physical domains, but had no impact on the generic HRQoL. Lymphoedema has impact on lymphoedema-specific, but not on generic, HRQoL, 1 year after surgery for EC.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.