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Background: The aims of this multicentric prospective study were to assess the postoperative quality of life in patients who had colonic resection for colorectal cancer and to determine its positive and negative predictors. Patients and Methods: One hundred and four patients were enrolled in this study: 68 consecutive patients who had undergone laparoscopic assisted colonic resection, and 31 patients who had open colonic resection. The patients answered to three questionnaires about their generic quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30), their disease specific quality of life (EORTC CR29) and about their treatment satisfaction (EORTC IN-PATSAT32) at admission and one month after surgery. Non-parametric tests and forward stepwise multiple regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: Generic quality of life in the first post operative month as well as patients satisfaction were similar in patients who had minimally invasive colonic resection and in those who had open surgery. Body image was better in patients who had minimally invasive colonic resection (p=0.03). In the postoperative period the role functioning decreased significantly (p=0.04) while the emotional functioning improved (p<0.01) compared to the preoperative assessment. Anastomotic leakage and post operative psychiatric complication (i.e. depression) were the only independent negative predictors of postoperative global quality of life (β=-0.44, p=0.001 and β=-30, p=0.008, respectively). Doctors availability was the only positive predictor of postoperative global quality of life (β=0.33, p=0.002)
Conclusions: Although patients who had minimally invasive surgery reported a better body image their global quality of life did not seem to be positively influenced by this improved surgical technique. Postoperative quality of life is affected by postoperative complication but can be improved by positive relationship with the surgeons in charge. These effects seemed help patients to accept the burden of surgery.