Exploration of Morbidity in a Serial Study of Long-Term Brain Tumor Survivors:A Focus on Pain

摘要

Purpose: Children surviving brain tumors are frequently identified as having substantially decreased health-related quality of life (HRQL) in cross-sectional studies. This study explored the HRQL of a cohort of such survivors, who were recruited as adolescents and followed for a decade, in order to determine the trajectory of their morbidities.Method: Children diagnosed between January 1, 1985, and December 31, 1998, more than 2 years from diagnosis (N=40), were recruited in 2000/2001 (Tl) aged 16.74 + 4.23 years. Health Utilities Index questionnaires (HUI2/3) were completed in 2000/2001 and again at 5 years (T2) and 10 years (T3), with 37 and 25 participants then aged 21.54 +-4.29 and 27.97 +-4.07 years, respectively. In addition to study subjects, parental proxies completed questionnaires at Tl and T2, while study subjects selected proxies at T3. Single attributes (domains/dimensions) of HRQL and details of pain were analyzed.