Area Deprivation and Post-operative Quality of Life After Major Operations for Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Socioeconomic Determinants of Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Neighborhood deprivation, a socioeconomic factor, is linked to poorer surgical outcomes.
• The specific effect of neighborhood deprivation on postoperative quality of life (QOL) remains unclear.
• Understanding these associations is crucial for improving patient care and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between neighborhood deprivation and postoperative QOL in patients undergoing major abdominal cancer surgery.
• To test the hypothesis that higher neighborhood deprivation correlates with worse QOL after cancer operations.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial cohort (n=235) of major abdominal cancer surgery patients.
• Neighborhood deprivation measured using the area deprivation index (ADI).
• Primary outcome: overall QOL at 90 days postoperatively (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General); Secondary outcomes: days alive at home, caregiver burden, and mobility.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant association was found between ADI and overall QOL (OR 0.89; 95% CI (0.59, 1.34), P = 0.85).
• ADI also showed no significant association with days alive at home (P = 0.19), caregiver burden (P = 0.06), or mobility (P = 0.59) at 90 days postoperatively.
• The cohort median age was 65.0 years, with 60.0% males, common cancers included bladder, colorectal, and foregut.

Conclusions:

• This study found no link between neighborhood deprivation and key postoperative QOL indicators in cancer patients.
• Other unmeasured social determinants may significantly influence patient recovery and QOL.
• Future research should examine a broader range of social factors impacting surgical outcomes.