Izvorni znanstveni članak
THE MOST COMMON FACTORS INFLUENCING ON QUALITY OF LIFE OF THYROID CANCER PATIENTS AFTER THYROID HORMONE WITHDRAWAL
Mateja Rubic
; Clinical Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Sanja Kusacic Kuna
; Clinical Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vanja Tesic
; Department of Epidemiology, Andrija Stampar Teaching Institut of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia ; Department of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Tatjana Samardzic
; Clinical Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Marija Despot
; Clinical Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Drazen Huic
; Clinical Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Sažetak
Background: The aim of study was to evaluate which factors impact mostly on life-quality of patients with differentiated thyroid
carcinoma after thyroid hormone withdrawal.
Subjects and methods: 150 patients were enrolled in the study by using Quality of life- Thyroid version questionnaire in which
they expressed their physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being. The answers have been interpreted on a scale from 0 to
10. All patients underwent four weeks levothyroxine withdrawal in preparation for I-131 procedures and thyroglobulin testing.
Results: Individual statements on the physical subscale showed that patients had most difficulties with fatigue, intolerance to
cold and heat, sleep changes and weight gain, but with higher average values than expected. Fatigue was one of the most common
physical difficulties. Female patients had significantly more difficulties than male respondents. Five most expressed psychological
difficulties have been stress caused by initial diagnosis, followed by stress caused by surgical treatment, fear of metastases, stress
caused by initial radioiodine ablation treatment and fear of cancer recurrence. Generally, results revealed troubles mostly in
physical symptoms relating to thyroid hormone withdrawal, as well as psychological distress caused by initial diagnosis. Respondents
with higher educational level achieved a significantly higher score than less educated patients (p=0.026, Mann-Whitney U
test). Illness was very distressing for their families (median value 1, range: 0 to 10) and they reported insufficient support from
others (1, range: 0 to 10), but they did not feel isolated. Family and work consequences were less apparent.
Conclusion: The results of QOL-Thyroid questionnaire help to identify high-risk areas in patients’ lives that are negatively
affected by hormone withdrawal. Regarding the wide definition of quality of life, a positive impact on patients’ recovery could be
achieved by directing attention to most expressed difficulties noted in this questionnaire.
Ključne riječi
quality of life; differentiated thyroid carcinoma; thyroid hormone withdrawal; questionnaire
Hrčak ID:
265288
URI
Datum izdavanja:
23.12.2014.
Posjeta: 300 *