Comparison of quality of life between open and endoscopic thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid cancer

Background. Recently, various endoscopic thyroidectomy techniques have been introduced for cosmetic purposes. However, few reports have compared the quality of life (QOL) between post-endoscopic thyroidectomy and post-conventional open thyroidectomy. In this study, we investigated whether endoscopic thyroidectomy was comparable to conventional open thyroidectomy with respect to QOL. Methods. Between January 2010 and September 2011, 75 patients underwent endoscopic thyroid lobectomy and 233 patients underwent conventional open thyroid lobectomy. The QOL was assessed preoperatively and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively by using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30-question (EORTC-QLQ-C30) instruments. Results. Both groups showed similar changes over time in most of the QOL scales. However, patients who underwent endoscopic thyroidectomy showed significantly greater improvement in emotional function at 1 month (p = .039) and physical function at 3 months (p = .032). However, the pain increased more in the patients who underwent endoscopic thyroidectomy at 1 month (p = .042). Conclusion. Current findings suggest that endoscopic thyroidectomy may offer more rapid recovery of emotional and physical function than open thyroidectomy. (C) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.