[Quality of life (QOL) and nutrition]

Abstract

We thought that nutritional parameters in laboratory data might be able to express quality of life (QOL). Therefore, in 70 patients with malignant chest diseases (NSCLC, 42 patients; SCLC, 15; lung metastasis, 7; others, 6), the correlation between nutritional parameters of total protein (Tp), serum albumin (Alb), and serum (cholinesterase (ChE] and Karnofsky Performance Status scale (KPS) was investigated. Then, in 24 patients with them (NSCLC, 12; SCLC, 6; lung metastasis, 4; others 2), Alb and ChE were compared to the EORTC Core Quality of Life Questionnaire and Lung Cancer-Specific Questionnaire Module (QS). Results were as follows: 1) KPS and nutritional parameters correlated (Tp. r = 0.55, p less than 0.001; Alb, r = 0.60, p less than 0.001, ChE, r = 0.60; p less than 0.001). 2) The cores for Functional Status (FS) and Disease and Treatment-related symptoms (Sym) in QS and parameters of Alb and ChE correlate (FS v.s. Alb, p less than 0.01; Sym v.s. Alb, p less than 0.01; FS v.s. ChE, p less than 0.05; and Sym v.s. ChE, p less than 0.05). Moreover, the scores of Psychological Distress in QS and Alb showed a correlation (p less than 0.05). It is considered that nutrition and part of QOL (KPS and FS + Sym in QS, that is to say, "objective" functional activity and "subjective" functional activity and symptoms) correlate, and that nutritional parameters are useful to evaluate QOL.