1. Impact of lymphadenectomy and lymphoedema on health-related quality of life 1 year after surgery for endometrial cancer. A prospective longitudinal multicentre study
- Author
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Wedin, M., Stålberg, Karin, Marcickiewicz, J., Ahlner, E., Åkesson, Å., Lindahl, G., Wodlin, N. B., Kjølhede, P., Wedin, M., Stålberg, Karin, Marcickiewicz, J., Ahlner, E., Åkesson, Å., Lindahl, G., Wodlin, N. B., and Kjølhede, P.
- Abstract
Objective: To assess the impact of lymphadenectomy and lymphoedema of the lower limbs (LLL) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) 1 year after surgery for endometrial cancer (EC). Design: Prospective longitudinal cohort multicentre study. Setting: Departments of obstetrics and gynaecology at four university hospitals, six central hospitals and four county hospitals in Sweden. Population: Two-hundred-and-thirty-five women with early stage EC were included; 116 with high-risk EC underwent surgery including lymphadenectomy (+LA), and 119 with low-risk EC had surgery without lymphadenectomy (-LA). Methods: The generic SF-36 and EQ-5D-3L and the lymphoedema-specific LYMQOL questionnaire were used to assess HRQoL. LLL was assessed by systematic circumferential measurements of the legs enabling volume estimation, clinical evaluation and patient-reported perception of leg swelling. All assessments were carried out on four occasions; preoperatively, and 4-6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year postoperatively. Main outcome measure: HRQoL scores. Results: No significant differences were seen in HRQoL between the +LA and -LA groups 1 year postoperatively. Irrespective of method of determining LLL, women with LLL were significantly more affected in the LYMQOL domains Function, Appearance/body image and Physical symptoms, but not in the domain Emotion/mood, than women without LLL. No such differences were seen in the generic HRQoL or in the LYMQOL global score between the groups with and without LLL. Conclusions: Lymphadenectomy did not seem to affect generic HRQoL adversely. Irrespective of the method of measuring, LLL affected the lymphoedema-specific HRQoL negatively, mainly in physical domains, but had no impact on the generic HRQoL.
- Published
- 2022
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