What determines quality of life in patients with vestibular schwannoma?
Publication year
2021Source
Clinical Otolaryngology, 46, 2, (2021), pp. 412-420ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
Otorhinolaryngology
Health Evidence
IQ Healthcare
Journal title
Clinical Otolaryngology
Volume
vol. 46
Issue
iss. 2
Page start
p. 412
Page end
p. 420
Subject
Radboudumc 12: Sensory disorders DCMN: Donders Center for Medical Neuroscience; Radboudumc 15: Urological cancers RIHS: Radboud Institute for Health Sciences; Radboudumc 5: Inflammatory diseases RIHS: Radboud Institute for Health Sciences; Radboudumc 9: Rare cancers RIHS: Radboud Institute for Health SciencesAbstract
OBJECTIVES: Patients with a vestibular schwannoma (VS) experience a reduced quality of life (QoL). The main objective of this study was to determine the strongest predictors reducing physical and mental QoL from the disease-specific Penn Acoustic Neuroma Quality of Life (PANQOL) questionnaire in patients with VS. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: Radboudumc Skull Base Centre, Nijmegen. PARTICIPANTS: Patients newly diagnosed with VS between 2014 and 2017 managed with either observation, stereotactic radiosurgery or microsurgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Quality of life was assessed using the disease-specific PANQOL and general Short-Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36). Multiple linear regression models with PANQOL domains as predictors were used to determine the strongest predictors for SF-36 QoL physical and mental health scores. Standardised beta coefficients (β) were used for ranking. RESULTS: A total of 174 patients (50% females, mean age 58.9 years) returned the questionnaires, providing a 69% response rate. Fifteen patients (9%) were treated with microsurgery, 29 (17%) with stereotactic radiosurgery and 130 patients (75%) were observed in a wait and scan strategy. A lack of energy (β = .28; P ≤ .001), lower general health (β = .22; P ≤ .001), headache (β = .16; P ≤ .001), anxiety (β = .15; P ≤ .001) and balance problems (β = .10; P ≤ .001) are the strongest predictors affecting physical health, while mental health is most affected by anxiety (β = .37; P ≤ .001), a lack of energy (β = .34; P ≤ .001), facial nerve dysfunction (β = .07; P ≤ .001), balance problems (β = .04; P ≤ .001) and headaches (β = .04; P ≤ .001). CONCLUSION: A lack of energy, anxiety, headache and balance problems are the strongest predictors of both SF-36 physical and mental QoL in patients with VS. More awareness and supportive care regarding energy, anxiety, headache and balance in informing, evaluating and treating patients with VS could improve QoL.
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- Academic publications [227425]
- Electronic publications [107155]
- Faculty of Medical Sciences [86157]
- Open Access publications [76288]
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