title: Quality of life and persisting symptoms after oesophageal cancer surgery.
abstract: To assess quality of life (QoL) and symptoms after oesophageal cancer surgery, a prospective nationwide population-based study was conducted in 2001-2005, including most surgically treated oesophageal cancer patients in Sweden. Six months postoperatively patients responded to an EORTC quality of life core questionnaire (QLQ C-30) with an oesophageal-specific module (OES-18). Mean scores were calculated. Mann-Whitney test was used for group comparisons. Among 282 patients, QoL was considerably reduced compared to a reference general population (P<0.001), and functioning scales were similarly negatively affected; particularly role (P<0.001) and social (P<0.001) functions. Younger patients scored worse than older. No gender differences were found. Dominating general symptoms included fatigue, appetite loss, diarrhoea, and dyspnoea, each significantly more pronounced than the general population (P<0.001). Eating problems, cough, reflux, and oesophageal pain were common oesophageal-specific symptoms. Thus, patients who undergo oesophageal cancer resection suffer greatly from reduced QoL and several general and oesophageal-specific symptoms six months postoperatively.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Esophageal and Gastric Research, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery P9:03, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. pernilla.viklund@karolinska.se
authors.forename: Pernilla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Viklund
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wengström
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rouvelas
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lindblad
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lagergren
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002299:Cardia; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013548:Sweden