title: Quality of life and self-esteem in patients submitted to surgical treatment of skin carcinomas: long-term results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cancer is a multifactorial disease and skin carcinomas are the most common type of cancer. Assessing quality of life and self-esteem outcomes in skin cancer patients is important because these are indicators of the results of the treatment, translating how patients face their lives and their personal relationships.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the late impact of the surgical treatment of head and/or neck skin carcinomas on quality of life and self-esteem of the patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients with head or neck skin carcinomas were enrolled. Their age ranged between 30 and 75 years, 27 were men and 23 were women. Patients were assessed with regard to quality of life and self-esteem, preoperatively and five years postoperatively. Validated instruments were used: the MOS 36-item Short-form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Rosenberg Self-esteem/EPM-UNIFESP Scale. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for the statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two patients completed the five-year follow-up, 54.5% women and 45.5% men. Compared to the preoperative assessment, patients had an improvement in mental health (p=0.011) and in self-esteem (p=0.002). There was no statistical difference with regard to the other domains of the SF-36.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients submitted to surgical treatment of skin carcinoma improved mental health and self-esteem in the late postsurgical testing.
authors: Universidade do Vale do Sapucaí, Pouso Alegre, MG, Brazil.
authors: Paula Curitiba
authors: PC
authors: Maciel
authors: Universidade do Vale do Sapucaí, Pouso Alegre, MG, Brazil.
authors: Joel
authors: J
authors: Veiga-Filho
authors: Universidade do Vale do Sapucaí, Pouso Alegre, MG, Brazil.
authors: Marcelo Prado
authors: MP
authors: Carvalho
authors: Universidade do Vale do Sapucaí, Pouso Alegre, MG, Brazil.
authors: Fernando Elias Martins
authors: FE
authors: Fonseca
authors: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors: Lydia Masako
authors: LM
authors: Ferreira
authors: Universidade do Vale do Sapucaí, Pouso Alegre, MG, Brazil.
authors: Daniela Francescato
authors: DF
authors: Veiga
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D057234:Preoperative Period; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome