Quality of life priorities in patients with thyroid cancer - a multi-national EORTC phase I study.

Quality of life priorities in patients with thyroid cancer - a multi-national EORTC phase I study.

Thyroid. 2016 Sep 7;

Authors: Singer S, Husson O, Tomaszewska IM, Locati L, Kiyota N, Scheidemann-Wesp U, Hofmeister D, Winterbotham M, Brannan C, Araujo C, Gamper E, Kulis D, Rimmele H, Andry G, Licitra L

Abstract
Background The objectives of this study were to determine quality of life (QoL) issues that are relevant to thyroid cancer patients cross-culturally and to identify those with highest relevance to them in addition to the more general issues covered by the core QoL questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30. Methods A systematic literature search provided a list of potentially relevant QoL issues to supplement the core questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30 which is widely used in research and in care and that addresses QoL issues relevant to all groups of cancer patients. A panel of experts revised this list, and thyroid cancer patients rated the issues regarding their relevance for QoL by selecting the 25 issues they would include in a thyroid cancer specific QoL module. Results The literature search and expert discussion provided a list of 71 QoL issues which was rated by thyroid cancer patients (n=110) from seven countries. All issues were of high priority to at least some of the patients. The most frequently selected issues were sudden attacks of tiredness, exhaustion, quality of sleep, employment, social support, fear of cancer progression, fear of second operation, difficulties swallowing, and globus sensation. Conclusions Thyroid cancer patients cross-culturally rate fatigue related issues as highly important for their QoL, calling for increased efforts to find successful treatments for this problem. Vocational rehabilitation is also highly relevant for them and should therefore be an important aim of multi-disciplinary care. The third important area of concern is psychological issues, especially fear of progression and of additional treatments.

PMID: 27605136 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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