Objective: To prospectively determine the effect of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) on quality of life (QoL) after surgery.
Patients and methods: In all, 34 patients who had RARC for bladder cancer between January 2006 and December 2007 at one institution were prospectively enrolled in a study of QoL. All patients had RARC with extracorporeal urinary diversion by one surgeon. As part of the routine follow-up, QoL was assessed at intervals. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bladder (FACT-BL) questionnaires were administered before and then over a 6-month period after RARC. Patients undergoing chemotherapy were not excluded. Follow-up FACT-BL and individual domain scores for physical, social, emotional and functional well-being were compared with those obtained before RARC.
Results: The mean age of all patients was 65 years, 88% were men, and 13 (38%) had adjuvant chemotherapy. The mean time after RARC for the 1-, 3- and 6-month assessments was 29, 90 and 193 days, respectively; 19 patients completed three follow-up questionnaires. Initially, there were significant decreases in the physical and functional domains, with improvements in the emotional domain (P < 0.001). Total FACT-General and FACT-BL scores decreased in the initial period after RARC and then progressively improved. There was no statistically significant difference in total scores at 3 months after surgery; at the 6-month follow-up the total FACT-BL scores exceeded those before RARC (P = 0.048).
Conclusions: QoL appears to return promptly to, or exceed, baseline levels by 6 months after RARC. The improvement in the short term might allow for more contented patients and quicker initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy.