Are current scales adequate for assessing quality of life after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy?

Abstract

Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) are complex surgical procedures that are often used to treat advanced cancers of the abdominal cavity with peritoneal metastasis. Although these treatments can be lifesaving, patients often experience a significant decrease in their overall quality of life (QoL), especially in the early stages of recovery, owing to the physical burden of surgery and the effects of chemotherapy. Many traditional QoL questionnaires have been used to measure CRS and HIPEC. However, these classical current QoL assessment tools often fail to capture the unique challenges faced by this population, including bowel dysfunction, stoma-related distress, and long-term survivorship issues. Therefore, additional parameters that assess bowel function and stoma opening status and especially patient-reported outcome measures would be useful in QoL measurements to provide a more detailed understanding of recovery and general well-being in these patients.

Keywords: Cytoreductive surgery; Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy; Low anterior resection syndrome; Patient-reported outcome measures; Quality of life.