title: Symptom distress and quality of life after stereotactic radiosurgery in patients with pituitary tumors: a questionnaire survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a common treatment for recurrent or residual pituitary adenomas. The persistence of symptoms and treatment related complications may impair the patient's quality of life (QOL).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine symptom distress, QOL, and the relationship between them among patients with pituitary tumors who had undergone SRS.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used a cross-sectional design and purposive sampling. We enrolled patients diagnosed with pituitary tumors who had undergone SRS. Data were collected at the CyberKnife Center at a medical center in Northern Taiwan in 2012. A questionnaire survey was used for data collection. Our questionnaire consisted of 3 parts the Pituitary Tumor Symptom Distress Questionnaire, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument Short-Form (WHOQOL-BREF), and a demographic questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty patients were enrolled in the study. The most common symptoms reported by patients after SRS were memory loss, fatigue, blurred vision, headache, sleep problems, and altered libido. The highest and lowest scores for QOL were in the environmental and psychological domains, respectively. Age was positively correlated with general health and the psychological domains. Level of symptom distress was negatively correlated with overall QOL, general health, physical health, and the psychological and social relationships domains. The scores in the psychological and environmental domains were higher in males than in females. Patients with ≤6 symptoms had better overall QOL, general health, physical health, and psychological and social relationships than those with >6 symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Symptom distress can affect different aspects of patient QOL. Levels of symptom distress, number of symptoms, age, and gender were variables significantly correlated with patient QOL. These results may be utilized by healthcare personnel to design educational and targeted interventional programs for symptom management to improve patient QOL.
authors: Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors: Ching-Ju
authors: CJ
authors: Yang
authors: Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors: Guey-Shiun
authors: GS
authors: Huang
authors: Division of Neurosurgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors: Fu-Ren
authors: FR
authors: Xiao
authors: Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors: Meei-Fang
authors: MF
authors: Lou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000601:surgery*; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*; D011788:Quality of Life; D016634:Radiosurgery; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult