title: Health-related quality of life, personality and choice of coping are related in renal cell carcinoma patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether health-related quality of life (HRQoL) depends on psychosocial factors, rather than on factors related to the cancer treatment, this study explored the associations between HRQoL, personality, choice of coping and clinical parameters in surgically treated renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  After exclusions (e.g. death, dementia), 260 patients were found to be eligible and invited to participate. The response rate was 71%. HRQoL was determined by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), personality by the Eysenck Personality Inventory and coping by the COPE Questionnaire. Given tumour treatment, TNM stage and patient-reported comorbidity were also determined. The HRQoL indices were also summarized in general quality of life/health, functional sum and symptom sum scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  EORTC C30 sum scores were negatively associated with the personality trait of neuroticism [common variance (CV) 19-36%]. Avoidant choice of coping inversely accounted for 9-18% of the total HRQoL variance, while reported coping by humour was to some extent negatively associated with HRQoL score (CVmax 4%). Indeed, all of the quality of life indices except for one were significantly negatively correlated with neuroticism and avoidance coping. Patients with low HRQoL due to treatment, secondary to flank or open surgery, reported a closer association between problem-focused choice of coping and HRQoL than the other patients. Moreover, present comorbidities were uniquely associated with a lowered HRQoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HRQoL is related to treatment-related factors in RCC patients, but shown here to be more strongly associated with psychological factors and present comorbidity. These findings suggest that attention should be paid to supportive treatment of RCC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen , Bergen.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beisland
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beisland
authors.forename: Karin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hjelle
authors.forename: August
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bakke
authors.forename: Anne K H
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Aarstad
authors.forename: Hans J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Aarstad
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009392:Nephrectomy; D000075384:Neuroticism; D009664:Norway; D010551:Personality; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic
keywords: Health-related quality of life; psychological factors; renal cell carcinoma patients