Dynamic assessment of quality of life after autologous bone marrow transplantation

To determine the quality of life in adult patients after autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT), we administered a questionnaire to a cohort of patients seen at a single referral-based center. The sample included adults 18 years and older during the 1 year following an autologous BMT. Both disease-free patients and those who relapsed with 1-year of follow-up data available were included. Of 59 eligible patients, 58 (98%) responded to the questionnaire. Patients completed a telephone questionnaire administered by a nurse specialist in the field of BMT approximately every 90 days. At the time of initial contact on day +90, the mean quality of life was 7.8 (range, 1 to 10) on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best. By the end of the first year of follow-up, the mean quality of life was 8.9 (range, 3 to 10). Seventy-eight percent of the patients were employed. Twenty-one percent lost weight during the first year, with the majority reporting voluntary weight loss. Fourteen percent reported difficulties with sexual activity. Only 5% reported difficulty with sleeping or with frequent colds. One patient felt that her appearance was worse, and none of the patients reported a poor appetite. Eighty-eight percent of surviving adult patients reported an above-average to excellent quality of life 1 year following autologous BMT. This outcome is encouraging and suggests that this procedure is not associated with long-term morbidity in the surviving adult patient.