[Factors Affecting Quality of Life of Patients Undergoing Radiofrequency Ablation for Papillary Thyroid...

Objective To evaluate the factors affecting health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with thyroid papillary microcarcinoma (PTMC) after ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA).Methods The clinical data of 100 patients with PTMC who underwent reexamination after RFA in the Ultrasound Department of our center from October to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Demographic information was collected.SF-36 and Thyroid Cancer-specific Health-related Quality of Life Questionnaire scales were used to assess patients' quality of life and thyroid-related specific symptoms.The SF-36 scale includes two general domains including physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS).The impacts of demographic characteristics and thyroid-related symptoms after RFA on PCS and MCS scores were further analyzed.Results Univariate analysis and correlation analysis showed that the PCS scores in quality of life of PTMC patients were related to sex, neuromuscular, voice, concentration, sympathetic nerve, and throat/mouth complaints, psychological state, sensory symptoms, scar, chills, tingling, and headache (all P<0.1);and the MCS scores were associated with education level, residence, neuromuscular, voice, concentration, sympathetic nerve, and throat/mouth complains, psychological state, sensory symptoms, scar, chills, tingling, and headache (all P<0.1).Multivariate regression analysis showed that the PCS scores were only associated with sex and the neuromuscular and throat/mouth complains and the psychological state.The regression equation was:PCS=110.367-8.025×sex-0.213×psychological state-0.280×neuromuscular complain-0.278×throat/mouth complain.In contrast, the MCS scores were only associated with the psychological state and the throat/mouth and concentration complains, with the regression equation being:MCS=91.323-0.237×psychological state-0.437×throat/mouth-0.304×concentration.Conclusions The main risk factors affecting the quality of life of PTMC patients after ultrasound-guided RFA were female gender, psychological burden, lack of attention, and symptoms in neuromuscular system and throat/mouth.Therefore, preoperative explanations should be made according to the relevant symptoms that the patients may report, and psychological interventions should be offered after RFA to improve the quality of life of PTMC patients after treatment.