Health‐related quality of life among patients cured by surgery for esophageal cancer

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Abstract
BACKGROUND. Little is known regarding the long‐term, health‐related quality of life (HRQL) of survivors of esophagectomy for cancer. METHODS. Consecutive patients completed the validated European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer general quality‐of life‐questionnaire (QLQ‐C30) and the esophageal‐specific module (QLQ‐OES18) before surgery and regularly thereafter for at least 3 years. Mean scores with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. The Student t test for paired data was used to determine differences between baseline and 3‐year HRQL scores in which scores differed by ≥5 points. RESULTS. Of 90 patients who underwent surgery, 47 patients (52%) survived for ≥3 years. In this group, most aspects of HRQL recovered to preoperative levels by the 3‐year assessment, except that scores for physical function, breathlessness, diarrhea, and reflux were significantly worse than at baseline (P < .01). However, patients reported significantly better emotional function 3 years after surgery than before treatment (P = .0008). CONCLUSIONS. Even after 3 years, patients who underwent esophagectomy suffered persistent problems with physical function and specific symptoms. These findings may be used to inform patients of the long‐term consequences of surgery. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.