Health-Related Quality of Life and Disease-Specific Symptoms Among Persons with Thyroid Cancer After Surgery in Yunnan Province, the People’s Republic of China

OBJECTIVE To examine health-related quality of life (HRQOL), disease-specific symptoms, and relationships between HRQOL and disease-specific symptoms among thyroid cancer patients after surgery in Yunnan Province, the People’s Republic of China.METHODS Participants in this cross-sectional study included 333 persons with thyroid cancer after surgery receiving care at the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University. The HRQOL was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Question-naire. The Thyroid Cancer Specific HRQOL questionnaire was used to measure the disease-specific symptoms.RESULTS The mean global health score was 75.00 + 17.09. The mean score of role, social, physical, cognitive, and emotional function were 95.10±14.32, 92.67±16.12, 92.00±8.94, 82.83±16.15 and 81.11±16.47, respectively. The top three disease-specific symptoms experienced by thyroid cancer patients af-ter surgery were psychological symptoms (18.74±17.16), problems with scars (17.77±24.18) and throat/mouth symptoms (17.07±16.64). There were statis-tically significant negative correlations between dimensions of disease-specific symptoms and dimensions of HRQOL.CONCLUSIONS This study revealed negative relationships between HRQOL and disease-specific symptoms experienced by thyroid cancer patients after surgery. Health care providers caring for thyroid cancer patients, especially those in China, could use these findings as a basis for further enhancing the quality of care for patients with thyroid cancer after surgery.