Abstract

Background: Quality of disease is improved in patients with pancreatic cancer via endoscopic placement of a biliary stent. Since the role of non-cover metal stent inside the biliary duct is not definitely clear, the aim of this study was to evaluate the recurrence of obstructive symptoms and quality of life after insertion of non-cover metal stent inside the biliary duct in patients with pancreatic cancer. Methods: This retrospective descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 81 patients with pancreatic cancer who were referred to Mortaz and Shahaid Sadoughi Hospital. Factors such as pruritus, jaundice, appetite, stomachache and general situation were measured. Quality of life assessment was performed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary questionnaire (version 4). Then, the quality of life score was classified in terms of median score (more and less than 18). Results: Patients had a mean age of 72+/-12.15 years. The most complete recovery among them was related to jaundice (54.3) and pruritus (47.4). Subjects had a mean quality of life score of 21.60+/-6.24. Moreover, the mean quality of life score of 37.2 and 62.8 of patients was less and more than the median value, respectively. In addition, there was no significant difference between frequency of recurrence in terms of variables including sex, age, death, chemotherapy, surgery, and quality of life (p>0.05). The mean recurrence time was 6.9+/-5.03 months. Conclusion: According to our findings, the quality of life score of most patients using metal stent is higher than 18. Therefore, it seems that the use of metal stent can improve the quality of life score in these patients. Stenting also improves jaundice and pruritus in these subjects. In addition, because there is no significant relation between the frequency of recurrence with age, mortality, chemotherapy, and quality of life, it can be concluded that none of the above factors affects the frequency of recurrence among patients with pancreatic cancer.