Quality of life in treated adult craniopharyngioma patients

Objective: Quality of life (QoL) has become increasingly important in the evaluation of treatment of pituitary and hormonal diseases. A reduced QoL has been reported in childhood-onset craniopharyngioma; however, reports of QoL in adult craniopharyngioma patients are scarce. In the present study, we assessed QoL in adult patients successfully treated for craniopharyngioma in our centre. Design: This was a case-control study. Methods: In this study, we assessed QoL in 29 adult patients in remission during long-term follow-up after treatment for craniopharyngioma. Four validated health-related questionnaires (HADS, MFI-20, NHP and SF-36) were used, covering multiple aspects of physical, psychological and social functioning. Patient outcomes were compared to controls (n = 142) and to age-adjusted reference values derived from literature. Results: General fatigue, physical fatigue, energy, physical condition and physical mobility were significantly impaired, compared with controls. The main independent predictors for decreased QoL were visual field defects (depression, total HADS score, activity, motivation and energy), female gender (depression, motivation and pain), repeat surgery (role limitations due to emotional problems) and radiotherapy (mental fatigue) (the last two predictors to a lesser extent). Conclusion: Adult patients treated for craniopharyngioma show persistent impairment in QoL, especially in the physical subscales.