QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH SARCOMA AFTER CONSERVATIVE SURGERY OR AMPUTATION OF LIMBS.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Sarcoma treatment often involves limb-sparing surgery or amputation.
• Quality of life (QOL) is a critical outcome measure for these patients.
• Limited research exists on comparative QOL between surgical approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize existing literature on the QOL of sarcoma patients.
• To compare QOL outcomes between conservative surgery and limb amputation.

Main Methods:

• An integrative review methodology was employed.
• Searched LILACS, SciELO, PePSIC, Embase, and PubMed databases.
• Included 10 studies (9 quantitative, 1 qualitative) focusing on QOL, sarcoma, and surgical interventions.

Main Results:

• Most studies found no significant QOL difference between conservative surgery and amputation.
• Two studies indicated better QOL with conservative surgery.
• QOL was linked to diagnosis impact, psychosocial factors, treatment, survival, functionality, and multidisciplinary care.

Conclusions:

• The body of research on sarcoma patient QOL is limited.
• QOL evaluation is vital, impacting physical health and coping mechanisms.
• Further research is needed to fully understand QOL in sarcoma survivors.