Postoperative Quality of Life of Patients with Colon Cancer According to the Extent of Curative Colon Resection

Background: Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for colorectal cancers. However, the effect of resection extent on patients’ function and quality of life (QoL) should be clarified before surgery. We aimed to assess the postoperative QoL of patients with colon cancer according to the extent of curative colon resection. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on all consecutive patients with stage I-III colon cancer who underwent surgery at the Department of Colorectal Surgery from June 2013 to March 2019. The EORTC QLQ-C30 was completed to assess functional capacity and quality of life in all patients free of recurrence. Results: A total of 128 patients were included, with a mean age of 57.7±13.2 years. Fifty-seven patients were male (n=45%). Most patients (54%) underwent total colectomy. The mean interval between the operation date and filling questionnaire date was 41.8±6.9. There was no statistically significant difference between this interval period and the type of surgery (P=0.76). However, as this period got longer, the global health status score became higher (α: 2.3, CI: 2.1–3.9, P=0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that after adjusting for T and N stage, age, and gender, the type of surgical resection was an independent risk factor of having lower global health status (OR:3.2, CI:2.9–7.6, P=0.03), increased financial difficulties (OR:1.4, CI:1.1–3.6, P=0.022), and higher rates of fatigue (OR:2.4, CI:1.8–4.6, P=0.006). Conclusion: Global health status worsens with larger resections of the colon. Postoperative challenges in coping with the QoL and functional capacity of the resected bowel should be discussed with the patient prior to surgery.