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Psychological impact of thyroid surgery on patients with well-differentiated papillary thyroid cancer

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Abstract

Purpose

Most patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) have favorable prognosis and survive for many years. We investigated the effect of thyroid cancer surgery on subsequent psychological aspects.

Methods

Demographic parameters, clinical characteristics, and other data were obtained from self-administered questionnaires administered to WDTC patients at various times after thyroid cancer surgery. The questionnaires assessed psychological aspects based on three scales: a performance of everyday activities questionnaire developed for this study, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Fear of Progression Questionnaire (FoP-Q).

Results

The mean time since thyroid surgery and the survey was 3.5 years. More than half of the patients (60.7%) were able to perform all activities without limitations. The HADS scores indicated no anxiety or depression in most patients, and the FoP-Q scores indicated little fear of cancer progression. The time since surgery, type of surgery, use of postoperative radioiodine ablative therapy, and recurrence or metastasis had no significant effect on the psychological scores.

Conclusions

Our study indicates that most WDTC patients are psychologically stable after the thyroid cancer surgery.

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Abbreviations

FoP-Q:

Fear of progression questionnaire

HADS:

Hospital anxiety and depression scale

MRND:

Modified radical neck dissection

QOL:

Quality of life

RIAT:

Radioiodine ablative therapy

WDTC:

Well-differentiated thyroid cancer

YUSH:

Yonsei University Severance Hospital

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 388-1 Pungnap-2 Dong, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, Korea

    Tae-Yon Sung

  2. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehang-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea

    Yong-Wook Shin

  3. Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 250 Seongsan-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-752, Korea

    Kee-Hyun Nam, Hang-Seok Chang, Cheong Soo Park & Woong Youn Chung

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 250 Seongsan-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea

    Yumie Rhee

Authors
  1. Tae-Yon Sung
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  2. Yong-Wook Shin
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  3. Kee-Hyun Nam
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  4. Hang-Seok Chang
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  5. Yumie Rhee
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  6. Cheong Soo Park
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  7. Woong Youn Chung
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Correspondence to Woong Youn Chung.

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Sung, TY., Shin, YW., Nam, KH. et al. Psychological impact of thyroid surgery on patients with well-differentiated papillary thyroid cancer. Qual Life Res 20, 1411–1417 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-011-9887-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-011-9887-6

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