Patient-Reported-Outcome-Measures (PROMs) After Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Resections

Data on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of patients undergoing endoscopic resections have been sparse. The aim of our study was the prospective assessment of the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) as a baseline and post-endoscopic resection (ER) measurement in patients with epithelial mucosal neoplasms, adenomas and superficial tumours in the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract.

The study was designed as a prospective single-centre clinical trial. The applied GIQLI consists of 36 items, which are questions assessing symptoms, emotional facts, and the physical and social status of the patient. A baseline assessment and subsequent follow-up after ER were conducted. The ER consisted of EMR, ESD and EFTR techniques following the guidelines.

Of 347 enroled patients, 238 with an indication for ER were analysed. Prior to the procedure, the GIQLI was at 112.74 ± 20.6, which increased after 4-6 weeks to 115.70 ± 20.6 (p < 0.0001, paired t-test). The improvement of PROMs was due to a highly significant rise in the emotional dimension and to some extent by the improvement of the GI-symptom dimension.

This prospective study on PROMs shows a significant improvement in quality of life following endoscopic resection. This appears to be related to a decrease in troublesome symptoms and emotional burden after ER. Further studies are necessary to determine whether the choice of specific endoscopic procedures can have a significant impact on the decision-making process in individual patients.