Evaluating function and health related quality of life in patients treated for extremity soft tissue sarcoma.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate how functional disability impacts on health related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS) at 1 year post-surgery.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Survey of extremity STS patients pre-surgery and one-year post-treatment.

PARTICIPANTS

100 participants who were treated for extremity STS between 2001 and 2003 at four Canadian hospitals. Patients were over 16 years, non-metastatic at diagnosis, and had limb salvage surgery.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Rating Scale (MSTS), a measure of impairment; Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS), a measure of activity limitations; Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNL), a measure of participation restrictions; and EQ-VAS, a measure of HRQOL.

RESULTS

After adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, impairment explained 54%, activity limitations explained 48%, and participation restrictions explained 61% of the variation in HRQOL. After adjustment, when all three functional measures were included in the model, only participation restrictions had a significant impact on HRQOL explaining 63% of the variation.

CONCLUSION

Impairment and activity limitations affect the daily activities a patient can perform, but it is the restriction in participation of life roles and situations that has the greatest effect on patient's HRQOL.