The quality of life after laryngectomy

Kvaliteta života važan je evaluacijski instrument rehabilitacijskog procesa onkoloških bolesnika, pa tako i osoba s laringektomijom. Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je ispitati stupanj kvalitete života kod osoba nakon zahvata laringektomije u cjelini i po domenama, provjeriti postoje li razlike u kvaliteti života osoba prije i nakon zahvata laringektomije u cjelini i po domenama te ispitati faktore koji utječu na samoprocjenu kvalitete života osoba nakon laringektomije. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 35 ispitanika nakon totalne laringektomije. Upotrijebljen je prigodni uzorak s područja grada Zagreba, u Klinici za tumore KbC-a Sestre Milosrdnice u Zagrebu i Klinici za tumore KbC-a Zagreb. Za svrhe ovog istraživanja primijenjen je Indeks osobne dobrobiti za procjenu kvalitete života osoba i dobrobiti prije i poslije provedenog zahvata laringektomije te Upitnik za samoprocjenu kvalitete života EORTC QLQ-C30, verzija 3.0. Rezultati ovog istraživanja upućuju na to da percipirana kvaliteta života osoba s laringektomijom ne odstupa od vrijednosti koje se mogu naći u zdravoj populaciji. Utvr- đeno je i da ispitanici procjenjuju svoju kvalitetu života prije provođenja zahvata znatno višom. Pacijenti koji su bili uključeni u rehabilitacijski proces i koji se bave sportskom aktivnošću procjenjuju svoju kvalitetu života u prosjeku boljom i prije i nakon zahvata. Od simptoma koji su značajno povezani s osjećajem dobrobiti odnosno kvalitetom života istaknuli su se umor i gastrointestinalne smetnje, dok se skala globalnog zdravlja pokazala povezanom samo s kvalitetom života nakon zahvata.The quality of life is an important evaluation instrument of the rehabilitation process of oncological patients and, thus, of persons who have undergone laryngectomy. The goal of this research was to investigate the degree of the quality of life in persons after laryngectomy as a whole and by domains, to check whether there are any differences in the quality of life of persons before and after laryngectomy as a whole and by domains and to examine the factors influencing the self-evaluation of the quality of life of persons after laryngectomy. The study included 35 respondents who have undergone total laryngectomy. An appropriate sample was taken from the Zagreb region, i.e. from the University Hospital for Tumours of the University Hospital Centre Sestre Milosrdnice in Zagreb and from the Clinic for Tumours of the University Hospital Centre Zagreb. For the purpose of this research, a Personal wellbeing Index was used for the evaluation of the quality of life and wellbeing before and after the laryngectomy, as well as EORTC QLQC30 Questionnaire version 3.0 for the self-evaluation of the quality of life. The results of the research indicate that the perceived quality of life of persons who have undergone laryngectomy does not deviate from the values which can be found in the healthy population. It was established that the respondents evaluated their quality of life before the intervention as significantly better. The patients who were included in the rehabilitation process and who engaged in physical activity on average evaluated their quality of life as better both before and after the intervention. The symptoms most significantly linked with the sense of wellbeing, i.e. quality of life, were fatigue and gastrointestinal disorders, while the global health scale has been linked only to the quality of life after the intervention