Quality of life and fatigue among colorectal cancer survivors according to stoma status-the national VICAN survey

Objective: To assess colorectal cancer survivors' quality of life (QoL) and fatigue according to stoma status. Methods: In this large-scale national survey, we examined and compared QoL (SF-12) and fatigue (QLQ-C30) of colorectal cancer survivors according to stoma status and against population norms. Of the 487 colorectal cancer survivors who participated in the VICAN survey, 43 had a reversed stoma. We randomly selected 43 survivors without stoma as a comparison group. Findings: Colorectal cancer survivors had lower QoL scores compared to population norms. Fatigue affected survivors even two years after diagnosis. Participants with a reversed stoma scored lower on the physical QoL scale than participants without stoma. Conclusion: QoL and fatigue are impaired during a considerable period after cancer diagnosis and differ according to stoma status.