Clinical and patient-reported outcomes after pancreatoduodenectomy for different diseases: a follow-up study

The objective of the study was to evaluate clinical features and quality of life (QoL) in a 2-year follow-up study in subjects who underwent pancreatic head resection (PHR).

One hundred ninety-seven patients with benign and malignant diseases who underwent PHR were studied. A dedicated clinical form and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life Questionnaire C-30 were administered at evaluation times (immediately before surgery and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after discharge). A sample of 197 sex- and age-matched norms was also included into the study as reference group.

Of the 197 patients studied, 164 (83.2%) had malignant disease, and 33 had benign disease (16.8%). At initial evaluation, global health was significantly lower (P = 0.001) in the study population as compared with the norms. At the end of the study, the QoL was not significantly different from the norms, although the QoL of the 30 patients with benign disease was significantly better than that of the 72 patients with malignant disease.

The QoL before PHR was impaired in study patients before resection as compared with the normative population, whereas in patients who survived resection, it significantly improved in the 24 months after surgery.