Last update:
28-Jun-2024

OBJECTIVE The study of post-traumatic growth and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer subjected to radioiodine therapy and their interrelation.

METHOD A cross-sectional study took place in the Therapy Unit of the Nuclear Medicine Department in the University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete. The study sample consisted of 60 patients who had undergone thyroidectomy and with histological diagnosis of well-differentiated thyroid cancer. Two scales were administered to the patients, the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and the SF-36 questionnaire. These questionnaires were completed from the patients on the first day of their hospitalization before I-131 treatment.

RESULTS Twenty-one patients (35%) experienced low levels and 39 patients (65%) experienced high levels of post-traumatic growth. Moreover, post-traumatic growth and demographics (age, sex, family status, education) and clinical factors (TNM stage, radioactive iodine [RAI] dose, RAI preparation, comorbidities, body mass index [BMI], time from surgery) were found to be unrelated. HRQoL and especially two scales "social functioning" and "mental health" were found to be related with sex. All the other demographics and clinical factors were unrelated with HRQoL. From the demographics' factors, age seems to influence present health status (HS) compared to HS one year ago. "Role emotional" seemed to be influenced by "time from surgery", "mental health" was statistically related with thyroglobulin (Tg) level and "general health" with TNM stage. "Mental health" and "social functioning" seems to be influenced by post-traumatic growth.

CONCLUSIONS Patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer experienced high levels of post-traumatic growth and low levels of all eight scales of HRQoL.

Key words: Health-related quality of life, Post-traumatic growth, Radioiodine therapy I-131, Thyroid cancer.