INTRODUCTION
Sinonasal inverted papillomas (IP) are benign tumours accounting for 0.4% to 7% of all tumours of the sinonasal tract.1It primarily affects patients in their fifth to sixth decades of life, with a male to female ratio ranging from 2 to 3:1. While they can occur across a wide range of ages, these conditions are generally rare in children.2 Despite the benign character there are three main reasons to remove the tumour. First, there is a risk of malignant transformation.3 Second, because of the clinical presentation of the patients.4 And last, aggressive growth can lead to the destruction of local anatomical structures.5 After surgery, patients will need to recover physically, process the event psychologically and gradually restart their daily activities. These factors can have a major impact on patients’ health related quality of life (HRQoL).
To date, only few studies examined the HRQoL in patients with an IP. These studies found that patients with a benign sinonasal tumour have a better postoperative HRQoL compared to those with a malignant tumor. They also found that the HRQoL returned to normal after surgical removal of an IP.6-8 However, this has not been explored with the Endonasal Endoscopic sinus and skull base Surgery Questionnaire (EES-Q), which has the three obligate health domains (physical, psychological and social), but mainly in the physical health domain. Moreover, predictors for a better or worse postoperative HRQoL outcome are not known.
Because there is an increasing need to comprehensively evaluate the effects of diseases and treatment, the objectives of our study were threefold. First, we aimed to assess the preoperative HRQoL and subsequently examined the postoperative trajectory. Second, we sought to investigate whether preoperative observations can serve as predictors for distinct postoperative HRQoL outcomes. Additionally, we aimed to evaluate whether interventions carried out by physicians can contribute to improved postoperative HRQoL. By achieving these objectives, we hope to enhance the counselling process for patients with IP and gain novel insights into the outcome of actions performed by the physician.