Quality of life assessment in patients of bladder cancer with radical cystectomy and ileal conduit

Abstract

Background: Bladder cancer, a lethal disease accounts for 3% of cancer deaths. With possibility of various urinary diversion options after bladder removal having comparable cancer control and complications, quality of life becomes an important factor in deciding the type of urinary diversion.Methods: Retrospective observational study with statistically appropriate sample size of 50. Patients of radical cystectomy and ileal conduit given validated Functional Assessment Of Chronic Illness Therapy for Bladder Cancer ( FACT-Bl ) Questionnaire to answer about post-operative quality of life in terms of five parameters i.e., physical, mental, social, emotional and cancer specific well-being after 1 year of surgery.Results: Results analysed by FACIT-Bl questionnaire analysis methods statistically, in terms of total scores and sub-scores. In our study the mean scores of physical well-being (PWB) subscale is 24.08±4.67 (range o-28), social well-being (SWB) subscale is 23.52±4.35 (range 0-28) , emotional well-being (EWB) subscale is 20.06±5.09, functional well-being (FWB) subscale is 21.84±6.01 (range 0-28), bladder cancer subscale is 36.44±5.72 (range 0-48). While mean trial outcome index score is 82.16±3.5 (range 0-104), FACT- General (G) score is 89.50+ 15.88 and mean FACT-Bl total score is 125.94±19.04.These scores provides the quantitative assessment of the quality of life and higher scores indicates better quality of life.Conclusions: Assessing quality of life for a particular type of urinary diversion, with questionnaires, gives surgeons and patients, guidance regarding diversion of choice.