title: Short-term quality-of-life assessed after robot-assisted radical cystectomy: a prospective analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To prospectively determine the effect of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) on quality of life (QoL) after surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  In all, 34 patients who had RARC for bladder cancer between January 2006 and December 2007 at one institution were prospectively enrolled in a study of QoL. All patients had RARC with extracorporeal urinary diversion by one surgeon. As part of the routine follow-up, QoL was assessed at intervals. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bladder (FACT-BL) questionnaires were administered before and then over a 6-month period after RARC. Patients undergoing chemotherapy were not excluded. Follow-up FACT-BL and individual domain scores for physical, social, emotional and functional well-being were compared with those obtained before RARC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of all patients was 65 years, 88% were men, and 13 (38%) had adjuvant chemotherapy. The mean time after RARC for the 1-, 3- and 6-month assessments was 29, 90 and 193 days, respectively; 19 patients completed three follow-up questionnaires. Initially, there were significant decreases in the physical and functional domains, with improvements in the emotional domain (P < 0.001). Total FACT-General and FACT-BL scores decreased in the initial period after RARC and then progressively improved. There was no statistically significant difference in total scores at 3 months after surgery; at the 6-month follow-up the total FACT-BL scores exceeded those before RARC (P = 0.048).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  QoL appears to return promptly to, or exceed, baseline levels by 6 months after RARC. The improvement in the short term might allow for more contented patients and quicker initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Urology, State university of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Bertram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yuh
authors.forename: Zubair
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Butt
authors.forename: Anees
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fazili
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Piacente
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wilding
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mohler
authors.forename: Khurshid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Guru
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D015653:Cystectomy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012371:Robotics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents