[Quality of life assessment in patients with malignant glial tumors]

Abstract

Introduction: High-grade gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors. Dismal prognosis for the patients with a marked deterioration of the quality of life and a mean length of survival of 9-18 months are typical characteristics for this pathology. The aim of this study is to assess the most appropriate questionnaire for measuring the quality of life (QOL) in this group of patients.

Material and methods: For the period 01. 2003-05. 2005 quality of life was assessed in 100 patients using SF-36 (n = 95), WHOQOL-100 (n = 35) and QLQ-C30 of EORTC (n = 40) questionnaires. After that using a visual analog scale patients were asked five additional questions in regard to the easiness of completion and clarity of the questionnaires.

Results: Comparison of the answers of the additional questions revealed SF-36 and QLQ-C30 to be the most suitable scales for QOL measurement in patients with high grade gliomas. There were no difficulties met by the patients during the initial filling of the questionnaires as well as during the follow up of the QOL with the progression of the disease. WHOQOL-100 proved to be a little complicated for a group of patients, probably due to the large group of questions included and the additional time and concentration needed for its completion.

Conclusion: The SF-36 and QLQ-C30 questionnaires are suitable for patients with high grade gliomas. WHOQOL-100 proves to be a little complicated for patients with high grade gliomas probably due to the large number of questions included. It is suitable for application in a selected group of patients.