Quality of life assessment in patients who have undergone oncologic resection of rectum: a retrospective, three arms, single centre, observational study

Abstract

Background: Quality of life (QOL) analysis following cancer surgery is a sensitive issue among patients. The present study tried to find the status of these QOL parameters in patients who had undergone oncogenic resection of rectum.Methods: Patients were given the short form 36 (SF-36), The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and the EORTC QLQ-C29 questionnaires to fill at three time points in their treatment (prior to surgery, 3 months and 6 months following surgery). The prospectively collected questionnaires were analysed retrospectively.Results: On comparing SF-36 questionnaire, there was significant improvement as we proceeded from baseline to first and second visit except for the energy level. On EORTC-30 questionnaire, there was significant improvement in all scales as we proceeded from baseline to first visit and then to second visit. On comparing EORTC-29 questionnaire, among all visits of abdominoperineal resection (APR), symptoms like pain and blood or mucus in stools significantly improved, low anterior resection (LAR) showed significant improvement in all 4 scales, high anterior resection (HAR) patients showed worst micturition complaints during first visit and gradually improving scores for other scales from baseline to first and second visit.Conclusions: The three-questionnaire used in the study comprehensively included all issues from general health after cancer surgery to problems faced by the patients specifically after various modalities of rectal surgery. Such studies should be planned routinely to assess comprehensive outcome of oncogenic surgeries.