Abstract
Background:Patients undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are at risk of experiencing acute complications and long‐term side effects that can negatively influence their health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). If more is known about this effect, health‐care professionals and patients can be better informed and it can support treatment decision making or supportive care provision/organisation.Aims:The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of symptoms one year after allogeneic HSCT and to evaluate the impact of these symptoms on patients HRQoL.Methods:Since January 2013 patients admitted for allogeneic HSCT in the University Medical Centre Utrecht are approached by their nurse (± 50 each year) to complete questionnaires three months and subsequently each year after their transplantation. Since 2017, patients are also invited to complete questionnaires before their allogeneic HSCT. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy General and Bone Marrow Transplantation (FACT‐G and BMT) questionnaires consisting of 50 questions are used to assess HRQoL and symptoms.Data is now available of 100 patients one year post allogeneic HSCT. These data were analysed using descriptive statistics to compute symptom prevalence rates differentiating between patients reporting symptoms 1) not at all; 2) a little/somewhat and 3) quite a bit/very much. One‐way analyses of covariance were used to evaluate the impact of symptoms (not at all and a little/somewhat combined versus quite a bit/very much) on HRQoL, with age and sex as covariates.Results:Between January 2014 and October 2017, 100 patients completed the questionnaire one year after transplantation. Patients were on average 49.5 years old (range 19–73) at time of transplantation and 61% were male.The most frequently reported symptoms one year post allogeneic HSCT were being tired easily (36% quite a bit/very much; 55% a little/somewhat), experiencing side effects worse than expected (24% quite a bit/very much; 26% a little/somewhat), lack of energy (22% quite a bit/very much; 63% a little/somewhat), frequent colds/infections (15% quite a bit/very much; 44% a little/somewhat), being bothered by side effects (14% quite a bit/very much; 55% a little/somewhat), having skin problems (13% quite a bit/very much; 49% a little/somewhat) and having blurry eyesight (10% quite a bit/very much; 41% a little/somewhat, Figure 1). Patients experiencing lack of energy, being bothered by side effects, experiencing side effects worse than expected and being tired easily quite a bit/very much reported statistically and clinically relevant lower HRQoL compared to patient experiencing these symptoms not at all/a little/somewhat (all p < 0.01). No differences in HRQoL were observed between patients having colds/infections, blurry eyesight and skin problems compared to those experiencing them not at all/a bit/somewhat.Summary/Conclusion:A high percentage of patients experiences symptoms one year post allogeneic HSCT, with symptoms of fatigue and lack of energy and being bothered and experiencing side effects worse than expected having a negative impact on patients HRQoL. Results of this study can be used for information provision and patient‐oriented rehabilitation or recovery programs.image
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