Prospective Quality of Life Outcomes Following Robotic Surgery in Gynecologic Oncology

• Quality of life and body image return to baseline by 3 weeks after robotic surgery.
• Social well being was not affected by robotic surgery.
• Emotional well being increased after robotic surgery.

PurposeTo characterize the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of patients undergoing robotic surgery for the treatment of gynecologic cancers.Methods211 patients completed a quality of life questionnaire before surgery. Postoperative questionnaires, consisting of the same assessment with the addition of postoperative questions, were given at 1 week, 3 weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—General (FACT-G) and its subscales were used to evaluate HRQL. Patient-rated body image was evaluated using the Body Image Scale. Statistical significance was measured by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Minimally important difference (MID) values were analyzed to evaluate clinical significance.ResultsOverall HRQL and body image decreased at 1 week after surgery and returned to baseline by 3 weeks. Physical and functional well-being decreased at 1 week after surgery and returned to baseline by 3 months after surgery. However, using MID criteria, physical well-being returned to baseline by 3 weeks. Social well-being did not change significantly. Emotional well-being increased immediately by 1 week after surgery.ConclusionPatient reported HRQL outcomes following robotic surgery for the treatment of gynecologic cancers suggests a rapid return to pre-surgery values.