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Quality of life after intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy (IPHC) for peritoneal carcinomatosis
R P McQuellon1, B W Loggie, R A Fleming
1Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1082, USA. rmcquell@wfubmc.edu
Aims:
This study assessed the functional status and quality of life (QOL) of patients with disseminated peritoneal cancer (DPC) before and after cytoreductive surgery plus intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy (IPHC).
Methods:
Patients with confirmed or suspected diagnosis of gastro-intestinal cancer including stomach, pancreas, hepatobiliary and colorectal cancer with peritoneal implants were enrolled in the study. Sixty-four patients completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colon (FACT-C) scale and several other instruments at baseline. Forty-eight, 40, 39 and 31 patients were assessed at approximately 2 weeks post-surgery, and 3, 6 and 12 months respectively.
Results:
There was a significant overall effect on the physical (P=0.0025), emotional (P<0.0001) and functional well-being (P=0.0044) subscales and the FACT-C (P=0.0076). Physical and functional well-being scores decreased at post-surgery follow-up and increased relative to baseline at 3, 6 and 12 months. Nineteen per cent, 46%, 59% and 74% of patients resumed greater than 50% of their normal activities post-operatively at 3, 6 and 12 months respectively. A percentage of patients reported depressive symptoms: baseline (28%), post-operatively (33%), 3 months (23%), 6 months (21%) and 12 months (29%).
Conclusions:
Cytoreductive surgery followed by IPHC was well tolerated. Most patients returned to baseline or better levels of functioning within 3 months post-treatment.
