Long-term health-related quality of life after pancreatic resection for malignancy in patients with and without severe postoperative complications

Background Surgery for pancreatic cancer yields significant morbidity and mortality risks and survival is limited. Therefore, the influence of complications on quality of life (QoL) after pancreatic surgery is important. This study compares QoL in patients with and without severe complications after surgery for pancreatic (pre-)malignancy. Methods This prospective cohort study scored complications after pancreatic surgery according to the Clavien–Dindo system and the definitions of the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery. QoL was measured by the RAND36 questionnaire, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer core questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and the pancreas specific QLQ-PAN26. QoL in patients with severe complications was compared with QoL in patients with no or mild complications over a period of 12 months. Analysis was performed with linear mixed models for repeated measurements. Results Between March 2012 and July 2016, 137 patients were included. Sixty-eight patients (50%) had at least 1 severe complication. There were no statistically significant and clinically relevant differences between both groups in QoL up to 12 months after surgery. Conclusion In this study, no differences in QoL between patients with and without severe postoperative complications were encountered during the first 12 months after surgery for pancreatic (pre-)malignancy. Trial registration http://www.clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02175992 .