The effects of thoracic surgery operations on quality of life: a multicenter study

Some treatment modalities may cause losses in patients' life comfort because of the treatment process. Our aim is to determine the effects of thoracic surgery operations on patients' quality of life.

This is a multicenter and prospective study. A hundred patients, who had undergone posterolateral thoracotomy (PLT) and/or lateral thoracotomy (LT), were included in the study. A quality of life questionnaire (SF-36) was used to determine the changes in life comfort. SF-36 was performed before the operation, on the first month, third month, sixth month and twelfth month after the operation.

Seventy-two percent (n = 72) of the patients were male. PLT was performed in 66% (n = 66) of the patients, and LT was performed in 34% (n = 34) of the patients. The types of resections in patients were pneumonectomy in four patients, lobectomy in 59 patients and wedge resection in 11 patients. No resection was performed in 26 patients. Thoracotomy caused deteriorations in physical function (PF), physical role (RP), bodily pain (BP), health, vitality and social function scores. The deteriorations observed in the third month improved in the sixth and twelfth months. The PF, RP, BP and MH scores of the patients with lung resection were much more worsened compared with the patients who did not undergo lung resection.

Thoracic surgery operations caused substantial dissatisfaction in life comfort especially in the third month postoperatively. The worsening in physical function, physical role, pain and mental health is much more in patients with resection compared with the patients who did not undergo resection.