HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQoL) ASSESSMENT FOLLOWING RADICAL CYSTECTOMY IN POPULATION OF A SOUTH ASIAN COUNTRY

Purpose: Radical cystectomy is carried out for muscle invasive bladder (BL) cancer, which greatly affects the quality of life. The objective of our study was to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients following radical cystectomy. Methods: A retrospective review was done in patients that underwent radical cystectomy between July 2009 and November 2014 at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan. HRQoL assessments of 34 patients done during clinical psychology review were included in this study. HRQoL was assessed using functional assessment of cancer therapy-BL questionnaire. Results: Low scores were observed in physical well-being and emotional well-being domains with mean scores of 7.32 and 7.97, respectively. Patients scored high on social and family well-being, functional well-being and additional concerns, with mean scores of 24.9, 17.24 and 21.73, respectively. Conclusions: Psychological evaluation and rehabilitation should be an integral part of surveillance after radical cystectomy. Key words: Bladder cancer, functional assessment of cancer therapy-bladder, health-related quality of life, radical cystectomy, South Asian