Purpose: This study aimed to investigate quality of life (QOL) and psychological distress based on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after surgery among patients with gynecological diseases in Japan.
Methods: We recruited 100 women from patients who underwent gynecological surgery followed by regimens standard for each disease. Subjects completed a questionnaire relating to life interferences, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the EuroQol 5 Dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire. We compared differences in PROs between patients with benign tumors (n = 30) and malignant tumors (n = 70), and subsequently examined correlations between PROs after surgery and related variables.
Results: Although the EQ-5D score was significantly higher in patients with benign tumors compared to those with malignant tumors, this association disappeared after controlling for confounders such as adjuvant therapies. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the number of months after surgery was positively correlated with the EQ-5D score, while the number of chemotherapy series was positively correlated with the number of life interferences. Moreover, the total number of drugs used in chemotherapy was positively correlated with the HADS-depression score and negatively correlated with the EQ-5D score.
Conclusions: The QOLs among gynecological cancer survivors may be associated with the chemotherapy and the term after surgery.
Keywords: Cancer survivor; chemotherapy; gynecological surgery; patient-reported outcomes; quality of life.