Long-term quality of life outcomes of women treated for early-stage endometrial cancer

Abstract

ObjectiveTo compare long-term quality of life in women treated for early-stage endometrial cancer with population norms, and to compare quality of life outcomes of patients who had total laparoscopic or total abdominal hysterectomy.MethodsOnce the last enrolled patient had completed 4.5 years of follow-up after surgery, participants in the Laparoscopic Approach to Cancer of the Endometrium (LACE) clinical trial were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Two instruments—EuroQol 5 Dimension 3-level (EQ-5D-3L) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment-General Population (FACT-GP)—were used to determine quality of life. The mean computed EQ-5D-3L index scores for LACE participants at different age categories were compared with Australian normative scores; and the FACT-GP scores were compared between patients treated with surgical treatments.ResultsOf 760 women originally enrolled in the LACE trial, 259 (50.2%) of 516 women consented to provide long-term follow-up data at a median of 9 years (range 6—12) after surgery. On the EQ-5D-3L, long-term endometrial cancer survivors reported higher prevalence of anxiety/depression than normative levels across all age groups (55–64 years, 30% vs 14.9%; 65–74 years, 30.1% vs 15.8%; ≥75 years, 25.9% vs 10.7%). For women ≥75 years of age, the prevalence of impairment in mobility (57.6% vs 43.3%) and usual activities (58.8% vs 37.9%) was also higher than for population norms. For the FACT-GP, the physical (effect size: −0.28, p<0.028) and functional (effect size: −0.30, p<0.015) well-being sub-scale favored the total laparoscopic hysterectomy compared with total abdominal hysterectomy recipients.ConclusionCompared with population-based norms, long-term endometrial cancer survivors reported higher prevalence of anxiety/depression across all age groups, and deficits in mobility and usual activities for women aged ≥75 years. Physical and functional well-being were better among women who were treated with total laparoscopic hysterectomy than among those receiving total abdominal hysterectomy.