Quality of life of the patients with a long-term survival after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Objective To study the quality of life (QOL) of the patients with hematological diseases who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Methods A total of 114 adult patients, including 75 males and 39 females, who ever received HSCT and could correctly understand the language and characters, were enrolled. After the informed consent was obtained from the patients, their QOL was assessed by the Karnofsky performance score (KPS), SDS, SAS as well as sexual function. Meanwhile, 32 healthy volunteers were selected as controls. Results All 114 adult patients underwent HSCT, in which 83 (72.8 %) succeeded for long-term survival. The average KPS score was (89.6 ± 12. 7) (ranging from 60 ～ 100). The correlation coefficient between KPS and recovery time was 0. 486 (P<0. 05). The average KPS score in control group was (99. 0 ± 3. 1), which was significantly different from those in the patients (P<0. 057. The average SDS and SAS scores in the patients were (48. 1 ± 11.3) and (42. 3 ± 8. 7), respectively. The correlation coefficient between SDS or SAS and present statement was - 0. 394 and - 0. 387 respectively (both P <0.05). The average SDS and SAS scores in controls were (35.3 ± 7.7) and (35. 1 ± 7.3)respectively (P<0. 01, P<0. 05). Compared with normal population, these patients had worse results in the psychological appraisal (P<0. 05). All the female patients had menelipsis, and most of them had some malfunction in sexual life. Only some of the male patients were abnormal in sexual function.Conclusion Long-term survivors following HSCT recover well in their physical subjects, yet in the meantime psychological problems such as depression and anxiety as well as obstacles in having normal sex are often found among them. Key words: Stem cell transplantation; Quality of life; Depression; Anxiety; Sex disorders