Fatigue and Quality of Life in Patients With Neuroendocrine Neoplasia

The diagnosis of cancer and living with cancer has an impact on patients' HRQoL. Numerous studies describe HRQoL in other cancer types, whereas only sparse research has been done in NEN patients.

Previous studies concerning the effect of cancer on HRQoL have been useful and help clinicians regulate treatment regimens in other cancer types. In advanced cancer patients, it is shown that Global QoL, physical, role, and emotional functioning improves during HPN and it wasin patients who are candidates for HPN according to the European guidelines.

Moreover, patients with laryngeal cancer who are offered partial or total laryngectomy experience a significant and fast decline in HRQoL compared to those who are offered transoral laser microsurgery. This study has improved clinician and patient decision-making.

Previous studies investigating HRQoL in NEN patients have methodological limitations; no reference groups, limited number of patients or including a heterogenos group of patietns. This lack of methodological quality may explain the inconsistency in the HRQoL results found in previous NEN studies.To our knowledge, only a few cross-sectional studies of larger patient groups compared to a background population have been published.

Both HRQoL and fatigue are likely to be affected in NEN patients. Using a validated generic tool with normative values derived from a background population, allows us to compare the values healthy controls.