The impact of surgery on patients with Von Hippel-Lindau-associated tumors: an international patient survey.

BACKGROUND

Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL) is a rare hereditary neoplastic disorder caused by mutations in the VHL gene. Treatment options for patients are limited to multiple surgeries dispersed between regular scans, watchful waiting, and treatments that preserve organ function.

METHODS

An international, cross-sectional survey comprising patients in the United States (USA), Canada (CA), the United Kingdom (UK), France (FR), and Germany (DE) was conducted. Patients were recruited via the VHL Alliance; data were collected between Dec 2021 and May 2022. For inclusion, patients must have renal cell carcinoma, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and/or central nervous system hemangioblastoma.

RESULTS

In all, 220 patients (68.2% female, median age 40.0, median disease duration 15.8 years) in the USA (n = 108), CA (n = 37), the UK (n = 21), FR (n = 3), and DE (n = 51) completed the study. In this sample, n = 205 (93.2%) patients had experienced surgery; n = 171 (77.7%) had experienced multiple surgeries (median number of surgeries, 4.0); 166 (n = 75.5%) patients recorded data on their most recent surgery. Of these, patients reported that their most recent surgery worsened (scored 1-3) their fatigue (51.8%, n = 86), mental health (51.2%, n = 85), and ability to go about daily life (45.2%, n = 75). Approximately, 47.3% (n = 104) of patients selected reducing the number of surgeries as a top treatment goal, whereas 73% (n = 161) of patients indicated they would prefer to take a pill which would possibly delay the time until surgery.

CONCLUSION

Surgery negatively impacts the lives of patients, leading to a worsening in their fatigue, mental health, and ability to go about daily life.