title: Effect of surgical margin status after radical prostatectomy on health-related quality of life and illness perception in patients with prostate cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of positive surgical margins (PSM) on health-related quality of life and illness perception after radical prostatectomy in patients with prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of all patients with prostate cancer diagnosed between 2006 and 2009 in 7 participating hospitals in the Eindhoven region of the Netherlands Cancer Registry, 197 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy were invited to fill in a questionnaire. Data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry were combined with questionnaire data (including European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire-C30, quality of life questionnaire-Prostate Module 25, and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire). Mean scores per margin status group were compared in multivariate linear regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the addressed patients, 166 (84%) responded to the questionnaire. At time of questioning, their surgery was 1.7 to 6.4 years ago. The prevalence of PSM was 34%. On most scales, patients with PSM reported more favorable scores than patients with negative surgical margins. However, differences were mostly trivial (<5 points on 100-point scales), or of small (5-10) to medium (10-20) clinical importance. Only differences on hormonal complaints and illness comprehensibility were statistically significant. Effect of PSM on scores did not vary between patients who were at different time points after surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although patients with PSM showed a trend toward more favorable scores, these differences were of little or no clinical importance. Additional research is needed to evaluate how patients value these differences with respect to oncological outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Netherlands Cancer Registry/Comprehensive Cancer Centre The Netherlands, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Richters
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Netherlands Cancer Registry/Comprehensive Cancer Centre The Netherlands, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Joris
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Derks
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Husson
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Amphia Hospital, Breda, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ilze E W
authors.initials: IEW
authors.lastname: Van Onna
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Maxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Laurent M C L
authors.initials: LMCL
authors.lastname: Fossion
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Sint Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Paul J M
authors.initials: PJM
authors.lastname: Kil
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Netherlands Cancer Registry/Comprehensive Cancer Centre The Netherlands, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rob H A
authors.initials: RHA
authors.lastname: Verhoeven
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Netherlands Cancer Registry/Comprehensive Cancer Centre The Netherlands, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.aarts@iknl.nl.
authors.forename: Mieke J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Aarts
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D011379:Prognosis; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Health-related quality of life; Illness perception; Prostate cancer; Radical prostatectomy; Surgical margins