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Health-related quality of life of thyroid cancer patients undergoing radioiodine therapy: a cohort real-world study in a reference public cancer hospital in Brazil

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to access changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) caused by radioiodine therapy (RAI) in thyroid cancer patients.

Methods

Prospective cohort study at Brazilian National Cancer Institute with patients enrolled between March 2015 and June 2017. RAI was performed by administration of 1.11 to 9.25 GBq of Na131I. EORTC QLQ-C30 v3 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires were applied to determine HRQoL at baseline, 1 week and 3 months after RAI. HRQoL during follow-up was evaluated by calculation of score absolute changes in each domain. Descriptive analysis was performed by measures of central tendency and dispersion. Changes in HRQoL were evaluated by paired t-test. The association between social demographic and clinical data and HRQoL was assessed by univariate linear regression for significantly changed domains, and p < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results

An improvement on global HRQoL and social Function post-therapy (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001) and on role (p = 0.038), emotional (p < 0.001), and cognitive function (p = 0.016) during RAI were observed. Nausea and vomiting (p < 0,001), pain (p < 0.001), sensitivity problems (p < 0.001), problems with social contact (p < 0.001), dry mouth (p = 0.007), and sticky saliva (p = 0.001) increased during RAI. Females were more sensible to changes in nausea and vomiting, and patients < 55 years experienced higher changes in sense during RAI.

Conclusions

Although RAI might affect HRQoL negatively, patients experienced an improvement on global HRQoL and symptoms reduction post-therapy.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the patients, as well as the investigators, who were involved in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Cancer Institute (INCA), Praça Cruz Vermelha, 23, Centro, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brazil

    Jayda Eiras Ramim, Marcella Araugio Soares Cardoso, Gessen Lopes Carneiro de Oliveira, Maria Luisa Gomes, Tiago Teixeira Guimarães, Rossana Corbo Ramalho de Mello, Anke Bergmann & Priscilla Brunelli Pujatti

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  1. Jayda Eiras Ramim
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Correspondence to Priscilla Brunelli Pujatti.

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Ramim, J.E., Cardoso, M.A.S., de Oliveira, G.L.C. et al. Health-related quality of life of thyroid cancer patients undergoing radioiodine therapy: a cohort real-world study in a reference public cancer hospital in Brazil. Support Care Cancer 28, 3771–3779 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-05225-x

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