A multicenter prospective study on quality of life and pain relief for cancer patient after (125)I seed implantation

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively explore the efficacy of (125)I seed implantation on quality of life and pain relief in cancer patient. METHODS: Consecutive cancer patients who underwent (125)I seed implantation in three centers in China between October 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, were assessed. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy and Brief Pain Inventory were used to evaluate patients’ quality of life and pain relief on the day before, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after seed implantation. RESULTS: A total of 104 cancer patients were enroled. Total score of quality of life was not statistically different 3 months after seed implantation compared with before implantation, while patients' quality of life was worse one week after seed implantation but then recovered. A total of 43 (41.3%) patients had pain before seed implantation, of which 16 (37.2%) patients had severe pain and 27 (62.8%) had mild-to-moderate pain. In patients with severe pain, the worst pain scores decreased significantly 3 months after implantation. In patients with mild-to-moderate pain, pain severity and pain interference score increased significantly after implantation compared with pre-implantation. Compared with pain before implantation, patients’ quality of life of patients without pain was higher. CONCLUSIONS: (125)I seed implantation maintains the quality of life of patients within 3 months. For patients with severe pain, seed implantation has obvious pain relief, which improves the quality of life of the patients. Nurses should provide personalized guidance for patients with different degrees of pain.