[Changes in quality of life and related factors in thyroid cancer patients with radioactive iodine remnant ablation].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate changes in Quality of life (QOL) and related factors in patients with thyroid cancer undergoing Radioactive Iodine remnant ablation (RAI).


METHODS
Data were collected longitudinally 3 times for 6 months (2 weeks post-surgery, post RAI, 3 months post RAI) in a hospital located in Seoul. Questionnaires were used to measure levels of physical symptoms, anxiety, depression, and QOL. Ninety-eight patients with thyroid cancer who had RAI were included in the analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS (18.0).


RESULTS
Findings for the three data collection times respectfully were: mean scores for physical symptoms, 0.53, 1.21 and 0.62, patients with depression, 47%, 36.7% and 37.7%, patients with anxiety, 18.4%, 19.4% and 20.4%, mean scores for QOL, 7.06, 7.01 and 7.28. QOL score was highest 3 months post RAI (p=.031). In the stepwise multiple regression analysis, depression and fatigue were predicting factors for low QOL at all data collection times. Dysponia was a predicting factor for low QOL post RAI and 3 months post RAI.


CONCLUSIONS
To increase QOL, it is necessary to provide information in advance regarding physical & psychological symptoms and to develop nursing intervention programs to decrease depression and fatigue.
Nuclear Medicine Department, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Seon Hee
SH
Yoo
College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. smi@snu.ak.kr.
Smi
S
Choi-Kwon
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D003863:Depression; D005221:Fatigue; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors
D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
Quality of life; Radioactive iodine remnant ablation; Thyroid cancer