Division of Behavioral Sciences and Health, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network and Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. mesplen@uhnres.utoronto.ca
The purpose of this study was to examine the health-related quality of life in a sample of Canadian adults diagnosed with familial adenomatous polyposis and desmoid tumor.
The study was conducted in two parts. Seven individuals participated in a focus group prior to a mail-out survey. A cross-sectional mail-out survey was administered to eligible individuals who were actively followed at the Familial Gastrointestinal Cancer Registry at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Forty-one individuals (25 female and 16 male) were available to be contacted by the registry coordinator and 23 questionnaire packages were completed, resulting in a 56.1 percent participation rate. The results of this study demonstrated a reduced health-related quality of life for individuals living with familial adenomatous polyposis and desmoid tumor for over 10 years. The main predictors of health-related quality of life in this analysis included marital status (married vs. not married), prior knowledge of desmoid tumor in the family, and current level of hopelessness (R(2) = 0.856, df = 13, F = 26.8, P