Quality of life among borderline ovarian tumor survivors: A comparison with survivors of early-stage ovarian cancer and a cancer-free population: A cross-sectional population-based PROFILES study

This study assessed the health-related quality of life (HRQo) of women surviving a borderline ovarian tumor (BOT) in comparison with early-stage ovarian cancer survivors treated surgically alone and with a matched cancer-free population. Survivors of BOT and ovarian cancer were invited in two Dutch cross-sectional, population-based studies. Ovarian cancer survivors with tumor stage I who were treated surgically only were included. A random sample from the cancer-free population was matched on sex, age and education to the sample of BOT survivors. The EORTC QLQ-C30 (version 3.0) and the EORTC QLQ-OV28 were completed by the cancer-free population and the BOT and ovarian cancer survivors in study 1 and 2. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was only completed by the cancer-free population and the survivors of BOT and ovarian cancer in study 1. BOT survivors were compared to early-stage ovarian cancer survivors and the general population using linear regression analyses and effect sizes regarding clinical importance. 83 BOT (42%), 88 early-stage ovarian cancer survivors (52%), and 82 women from the general population were included. In most HRQoL domains, BOT survivors were not significantly different from early-stage ovarian cancer survivors and the cancer-free population, except that BOT survivors reported significantly less insomnia than early-stage ovarian cancer survivors and more dyspnea than the cancer-free population (small clinical difference). In general, BOT survivors' HRQoL lies between the HRQoL of early-stage ovarian cancer survivors and of the cancer-free population, but clinical effect sizes between the groups were mostly only trivial. •BOT survivors' HRQoL is between that of ovarian cancer survivors and a cancer-free population.•BOT survivors reported significantly less insomnia than early-stage ovarian cancer survivors.•BOT survivors reported significantly more dyspnea than the cancer-free population.•Other differences in HRQoL were not significantly different and mostly of trivial clinical importance.•Future studies should evaluate the group of women that is premenopausal by diagnosis.