Table 2.
Mean Scores (±SD) of Thyroid Cancer–Specific Health-Related Quality of Life and Psychological Distress Stratified by Time Since Diagnosis and the Normative Population
| Short-term survivors, <5 years (n=81) | Long-term survivors, 5–10 years (n=86) | Long-term survivors, 10–15 years (n=75) | Long-term survivors, >15 years, (n=64) | Normative population (n=530) | pa | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thyroid cancer–specific HRQoL | ||||||
| Neuromuscular problems | 27.7±22.1 | 23.8±23.3 | 22.5±20.4 | 21.6±21.3 | n.a. | 0.35 |
| Voice problems | 16.0±22.7 | 12.1±20.6 | 9.0±15.7 | 5.2±11.7 | 0.006 | |
| Concentration problems | 19.6±21.5 | 18.5±25.2 | 12.1±19.3 | 12.1±18.5 | 0.06 | |
| Sympathetic problems | 23.3±29.2 | 21.8±28.3 | 14.4±20.5 | 13.6±19.7 | 0.04 | |
| Throat/mouth problems | 19.3±20.1 | 13.2±18.1 | 12.3±15.3 | 4.8±8.0 | <0.001 | |
| Psychological problems | 16.9±17.1 | 15.8±18.7 | 12.9±16.1 | 10.7±12.4 | 0.12 | |
| Sensory problems | 17.5±19.2 | 14.3±19.8 | 14.1±18.9 | 14.3±21.2 | 0.66 | |
| Psychological distress | ||||||
| HADS anxiety | 5.2±3.6 | 5.1±4.4 | 4.1±3.2 | 4.2±3.7 | 3.7±3.3 | 0.001 |
| HADS depression | 3.6±2.9 | 3.7±3.5 | 3.0±2.6 | 3.4±3.2 | 3.6±3.3 | 0.66 |
| % above the ≥8 clinical cutoff (26,27) | ||||||
| HADS anxiety | 19 (24) | 20 (24) | 8 (12) | 8 (14) | 64 (12) | 0.004 |
| HADS depression | 11 (14) | 13 (16) | 5 (7) | 7 (12) | 7 (12) | 0.60 |
a
p-Value for comparison of all available groups. Bold=p<0.05.
HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HRQoL, health-related quality of life; n.a., these items were not assessed in the normative population.