General state of health and psychological well-being in patients after surgery for urological malignant neoplasms

Objective: To evaluate the general state of health and the psychological we ll-being in a group of 155 patients after surgery for urological malignant neoplasms. Materials and Methods: Surgery was performed in 55 patients for renal cell carcinoma, in 54 for invasive bladder carcinoma, in 30 for adeno carcinoma of the prostate, and in 16 for squamous penile carcinoma. All pat ients were invited to self-compile the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) - 12 items according to Goldberg and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Sca le. Results were compared with those in a group of patients who underwent r etropubic prostatectomy for benign prostatic hyperplasia, Results and Concl usion: The general state of health was significantly more impaired in neopl astic patients than in the control group. Levels of anxiety were significan tly higher but depression levels were similar in both groups. As far as the type of tumor is concerned, patients who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder carcinoma and those treated with partial penectomy for squamous pen ile carcinoma showed a significant impairment of the .general state of heal th compared with controls. Higher levels of anxiety were observed in patien ts who underwent ileal conduit after radical cystectomy, in those treated w ith radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer and in those who underwent pa rtial penectomy, Significantly higher levels of depression than in the cont rol group were observed only in patients with ileal conduit. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG. Basel.