Change in quality of life of stage IA non-small cell lung cancer after surgery or radiation therapy.

Background: Few studies have examined the differential impact of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and surgery for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on quality of life (QoL) during the first post-treatment year. Methods: A prospective cohort of stage IA NSCLC patients undergoing surgery or SBRT at Mount Sinai Health System had QoL measured before treatment, and 2, 6, and 12 months post-treatment using: 12-item Short Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12 Results: In total, 503 (88.6%) patients received surgery and 65 (11.4%) SBRT. LOWESS plots suggested QoL changed at 2 months post-surgery. Worsening in PCS was observed for both surgery and SBRT within 2 months after treatment but was only significant for surgical patients (-2.11, P<0.001). Two months later, improvements were observed for surgical but not SBRT patients (0.63 Conclusions: Post-treatment, surgical patients exhibited improvements in physical health and reductions in lung cancer symptoms following initial deterioration within the first two months; in contrast, SBRT patients showed persistent decline in these areas throughout the year. Nonetheless, improved mental health was noted across both patient categories post-treatment. Targeted interventions and continuous monitoring are recommended during the initial 2 months post-surgery and throughout the year post-SBRT to alleviate physical and mental distress in patients.