PubMed ID: 10206573
Author(s): Cruickshanks KJ, Fryback DG, Nondahl DM, Robinson N, Keesey U, Dalton DS, Robertson DM, Chandra SR, Mieler WF, Zakov ZN, Custer PL, Del Priore LV, Albert DM. Treatment choice and quality of life in patients with choroidal melanoma. Arch Ophthalmol. 1999 Apr;117(4):461-7. PMID 10206573
Journal: Archives Of Ophthalmology (Chicago, Ill. : 1960), Volume 117, Issue 4, Apr 1999
OBJECTIVE To determine if quality of life differs between patients with choroidal melanoma treated with enucleation and those treated with radiation therapy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients treated for choroidal melanoma at 5 Midwest centers were asked to participate. There were 65 participants treated with enucleation and 82 treated with radiation therapy. Quality of life was assessed using the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 and the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire and by the Time-Tradeoff interview method.
RESULTS The average length of follow-up was 4.9 years for the group treated with radiation therapy and 6.3 years for the group treated with enucleation (P = .05). After adjusting for age, sex, years of follow-up, and the number of chronic conditions, there were few differences in any of the quality-of-life measures by treatment status. Participants in the group treated with radiation therapy were more likely to have higher (better) scores on the Vitality and Mental Component subscales of the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 than participants treated with enucleation. There were no differences on the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire or the Time-Tradeoff measures of quality of life.
CONCLUSION Choice of treatment for choroidal melanoma does not seem to be associated with large differences in quality of life in long-term follow-up.