Long-term evaluation of quality of life for primary craniopharyngioma patients following surgical resection

Abstract

Objective To investigate the factors affecting long-term quality of life in patients with craniopharyngiomas following surgical resection. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 18 patients with primary craniopharyngiomas who underwent surgical resection at Department of Neurosurgery, Fuxing Hospital, Capital Medical University and 61 cases undergoing operations at Department of Neurosurgery, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University. Quality of life was assessed based on a short-form health survey (SF-36 version 2) for all patients. The mean value of physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) were calculated according to the results of SF-36 scores accomplished by all 79 patients. The patients whose PCS and MCS were both over 50 were categorized into good group (60 cases); those with either or both scores less than 50 were regarded as fair life quality (19 cases). T test and chi-square test were utilized to identify the factors influencing the quality of life in patients before and after surgery. Results In all the 79 cases, gross total resection was achieved in 74 patients, partial resection in 5 patients.The average follow-up time was 6.1 years (range: 4-9 years). Cortisol hormone deficits (P=0.004), thyroid hormone deficits (P=0.010) and obesity (P=0.023) during follow-up significantly affected the outcomes. Conclusions The long-term quality of life of patients with craniopharyngiomas following surgical resection seems to be affected by the cortisol hormone deficits, thyroid hormone deficits and obesity. Attention should thus be paid to the protection of hypothalamus structure during surgery. Key words: Craniopharyngioma; Neurosurgical procedures; Prognosis; Quality of life; Long-term follow-up