Patient's Scar Satisfaction after Conventional Thyroidectomy for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is the most frequent endocrine neoplasm. Its treatment is based on surgery with consequent impact on patients' quality of life (QoL) and aesthetic implication. The aim of the present study is to assess scar satisfaction in patients affected by DTC who underwent total or partial thyroidectomy. A comparison was also made between scar satisfaction with different subcuticular suture. Validated questionnaires have been employed during a 3-month follow-up: Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) and the Patient Scar Assessment Questionnaire (PSAQ). Eventually, the impact of thyroid cancer on QoL of patients was performed in the studied population employing the Thyroid-related patient-reported outcome questionnaire (ThyPRO) and European Organisation for Research Additionally, Treatment of Cancer-Quality of Life questionnaire-C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). It was conducted in a single center observational study considering 74 patients respecting inclusion criteria. Overall scar satisfaction was found to improve during follow-up, reaching the best scores at 3 months from surgery. Subcuticular suture does not seem to influence the scar satisfaction. In our study male patients seem to be more satisfied, on the other hand age does not seem to influence satisfaction. Overall, the ThyPRO questionnaire and EORTC QLQ-C30 scores did not statistically differ between preoperative and postoperative suggesting a small impact of DTC in QoL.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of scar satisfaction in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) who underwent total or partial thyroidectomy, and compare the influence of different subcuticular sutures on satisfaction. The study found that overall scar satisfaction improved over time, reaching its highest score at 3 months after surgery. Gender seemed to be associated with satisfaction, while age had no impact on satisfaction. The impact of thyroid cancer on patients' quality of life was relatively small, with no significant statistical difference.