Exploring the role of quality of life in surgical decision making for patients undergoing pancreatectomy.

INTRODUCTION

The influence of baseline health-related quality of life (HRQoL) on peri-operative outcomes in pancreatobiliary (PB) patients is not well established. This study investigated the impact of baseline HRQoL on peri-operative outcomes and the effect of surgery on HRQoL.

METHODS

A secondary post-hoc analysis of a multicenter trial (2011-2016) assessed PB patients undergoing pancreatectomy. Pre-operative and 30-day post-operative FACT-G surveys were analyzed. Logistic regressions determined associations between baseline HRQoL scores and 60-day major complications. Subgroup analysis evaluated change in HRQoL (pre-operative to 30-day scores).

RESULTS

Among 391 patients, higher baseline HRQoL (FACT-G overall OR 0.54,p ​= ​0.04) was associated with decreased likelihood of developing major complications. Surgery resulted in improvement in HRQoL for patients with chronic pancreatitis (10.2 points) compared to other pathologies (-7 to 3.9 points).

CONCLUSION

Baseline HRQoL was associated with post-operative complications and HRQoL significantly improved for patients with chronic pancreatitis, highlighting the importance of HRQoL on patient-centered outcomes.