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.