Negative correlation between psychological distress and quality of life in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients treated with radioactive iodine.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between psychological distress and quality of life in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) receiving radioactive iodine after surgery. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 87 PTC patients who received Radioactive iodine (RAI) following thyroidectomy between February and August 2022. Psychological distress was measured with the Distress Thermometer (DT) and quality of life with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G). Patients were divided into high- distress (DT≥4) and low-distress (DT<4) groups. Quality of life was compared between the two groups, and the correlation between psychological distress and quality of life was analyzed. RESULTS: The mean quality of life score was significantly higher in the low-distress group than in the high-distress group (76.31±10.42 vs. 63.06±9.99; t=5.92, P<0.05). Eighty-seven patients showed a significant negative correlation between DT and FACT-G scores (r=-0.712, P<0.05). The most frequently reported distress-related problems were surgical scar concerns (59.8%), fatigue (57.5%), sleep disturbances (52.9%). CONCLUSION: Patients treated with radioactive iodine after PTC surgery experience varying levels of psychological distress, which are strongly associated with quality of life. Routine psychological distress screening may help identify patients at a risk for poor quality of life.