Quality of life-in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer at the general endocrinology clinics of the University Hospital of Puerto Rico.

Abstract

Unlabelled: Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) can compromise the quality of life of patients. Our purpose is to investigate if the quality of life, in a cohort of patients in Puerto Rico, is affected by the diagnosis and/or treatment modalities received for DTC.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 75 subjects with DTC. A Spanish version of the University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire was used, including multiple aspects of physical and social functioning. Descriptive and bivariate analysis between domain scores and variables of interest were performed.

Results: 82.7% of the patients reported that their health was the same or better than it was before treatment. The mean composite score obtained was 82.3, reflecting an overall little effect on quality of life. Patients diagnosed with DTC at an age of > or =45 years reported a significantly better score on the pain domain when compared with those diagnosed earlier (p < 0.05). Patient who received >150 mCi of radioiodine had a tendency towards a worse score on the same domain (p = 0.05).

Conclusions: Our cohort reported an overall minimal effect on the quality of life of patients with DTC. Future treatment strategies should include periodic quality of life evaluations, in order to tailor therapy in this growing population.