Pre-diagnosis quality of life (QoL) in patients with hematuria: comparison of bladder cancer with other causes

Catharina A Goossens-Laan,J L H Ruud Bosch,Jolanda De Vries,Paul J M Kil

doi:10.1007/s11136-012-0163-1

Catharina A Goossens-Laan, J L H Ruud Bosch + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-012-0163-1

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Abstract

PurposeTo examine quality of life (QoL), health status, sexual function, and anxiety in patients with primary hematuria who later appear to have bladder cancer (BC) and patients with other diagnoses.MethodsFrom July 2007 to July 2010, 598 patients with primary hematuria were enrolled in this prospective, multicenter study. Questionnaires (WHOQOL-BREF, SF-12, IIEF, STAI-10-item Trait) were completed before cystoscopy. Diagnosis was subsequently derived from medical files. BC patients were compared with patients with other causes of hematuria.ResultsCancer was diagnosed in 131 patients (21.9 %), including 102 patients (17.1 %) with BC. No differences were found in the WHOQOL-BREF versus SF-12 psychological or physical health domains. The erectile function was significantly worse in the BC group (9.3 vs. 14.6 for OC, p = 0.02). Patients with muscle-invasive BC (MIBC) had the lowest percentage anxious personalities of all BC patients (p = 0.04).ConclusionsCancer was found in 21.9 % of the patients with hematuria. Pre-diagnosis patients with BC have comparable QoL and HS to patients with OC. Erectile dysfunction was highest in patients with BC. MIBC patients had the lowest percentage anxious personalities of the patients with BC.

Highlights

Bladder cancer (BC) is the 7th most common cancer worldwide
No differences were found in the WHOQOL-BREF versus SF-12 psychological or physical health domains
The erectile function was significantly worse in the bladder cancer (BC) group (9.3 vs. 14.6 for OC, p = 0.02)

Summary

Introduction

Bladder cancer (BC) is the 7th most common cancer worldwide. In the Netherlands, invasive BC was the 8th most common cancer in 2008 [1]. Most patients are being diagnosed after presenting with gross or microscopic hematuria [2, 3]. The golden standard for diagnosis of BC is a cystoscopy of the bladder. When (muscle)-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is found, the therapy of choice is the radical cystectomy with bilateral pelvic lympadenectomy. Other curative treatment options are interstitial radiotherapy (IRT; e.g., brachytherapy for small solitary clinical stage II tumors) and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). When a patient is not eligible for any of the above-mentioned therapies due to comorbidity or preference, a non-curative option usually follows: a transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) or palliative radiotherapy

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