Patients who were free of disease were asked to answer the QLQ-C30 and those without stoma were, additionally, asked to fill in a questionnaire of anorectal (19 items) and sexual function (1 item).
Two hundred and twenty-two patients (86%response rate) completed the QLQ-C30 and 118 (86%response rate) the anorectal–sexual function questionnaire. The median time from surgery to filling in the QLQ-C30 questionnaire was 12 months, and to filling in the anorectal–sexual function questionnaire – 13 months. We did not find significant differences between the randomised groups regarding QoL and the anorectal and sexual functions. Approximately two-thirds of patients had anorectal function impairment. Approximately 20%of patients stated that this considerably influenced their QoL.
QoL and the anorectal and sexual functioning did not differ in patients receiving short-course radiotherapy, as compared to those receiving chemoradiation.