Quality of Life and Postoperative Dysfunctions in Patients after Rectal Cancer Surgery

Kazutaka Yamada, Kiyoshi Niwa, Takashi Sameshima, Shigeya Hase, Junichiro Sameshima, Kouichi Arimura, Yutaka Tyuman, Kanehiro Matsushita, Fujirou Kinoshita, Yuji Takebayashi, Takashi Ishizawa, Takashi Aikou

First Department of Surgery, Kagoshima University School of Medicine

We studied on postoperative dysfunctions and quality of life (QOL) in 96 patients with rectal cancer by a questionnaire survey. We asked them whether they discontented with having stoma or the postoperative dysfunctions in defecation, urination, and sexual function. Incidences of patients discontented with the dysfunctions were 65% in defecation, 72% in having stoma, 71% in urinary dysfunction, 85% in erection dysfunction and 50% in ejaculation dysfunction. Furthermore the postoperative QOL was assessed as five grades for subjective condition of health, appetite, sleep, life activity, and anxiety about the disease, respectively. Significant decline of the postoperative QOL (Grade I, II) in patients with having stoma was manifest, although tendency to decline of the QOL was recognized in patients with urinary or erection dysfunctions. The results suggested that patients with the postoperative dysfunctions, especially having stoma, erection and urinary dysfunctions, were degraded the evaluation of QOL. Consequently, patients with rectal cancer should be considered to receive sphincter saving operation or autonomic nerve preserving operation as far as possible.

Key words
postoperative dysfunctions of the rectal cancer, quality of life

Reprint requests
Kazutaka Yamada First Department of Surgery, Kagoshima University School of Medicine
8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890 JAPAN

Accepted
October 12, 1994

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