title: Quality of life of patients operated on for low rectal cancer: impact of the type of surgery and patients' characteristics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to compare the impact of a permanent colostomy and sociodemographic characteristics on the quality of life of patients operated on for low rectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was performed by use of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and CR-38 questionnaires. Patients came to the hospital to fill out the self-administered questionnaire or were sent the questionnaire by mail, followed by a live or telephone interview. All patients had undergone one of four operations: low anterior resection with colorectal or coloanal anastomosis (non-stoma group), or abdominoperineal resection with pseudocontinent perineal colostomy (nonstoma group) or left lower quadrant colostomy (stoma group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 132 patients were included for analysis and there were no missing data. For the majority of quality of life scores (26/29), there was no significant difference between stoma and nonstoma patients. However, stoma patients complained of diminished body image (P = 0.0022), and this was especially true for married (P = 0.0073) and less educated (P = 0.0014) patients at subgroup analysis. Stoma patients experienced greater financial worries (P = 0.0029), whereas nonstoma patients had greater gastrointestinal concerns (P = 0.0098).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although most quality of life scores between stoma and nonstoma patients were similar, significant differences regarding body image, finance, and gastrointestinal symptoms, especially for married and less educated patients, were noticed. These factors should be taken into account, along with oncologic criteria, to better tailor treatments to patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sideris
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zenasni
authors.forename: Dewi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vernerey
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dauchy
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lasser
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pignon
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Elias
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Palma
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pocard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001828:Body Image; D003125:Colostomy / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D054047:Surgical Stomas; D016896:Treatment Outcome