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. 2016 Sep;15(3):e93-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.clcc.2016.02.012. Epub 2016 Feb 13.

Long-Term Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Rectal Cancer After Preoperative Short-Course and Long-Course (Chemo) Radiotherapy

Lisette M Wiltink  1 , Remi A Nout  2 , Jochem R N van der Voort van Zyp  3 , Heleen M Ceha  4 , Marta Fiocco  5 , Elma Meershoek-Klein Kranenbarg  6 , Andreas W K S Marinelli  7 , Cornelis J H van de Velde  6 , Corrie A M Marijnen  2
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Free article

Long-Term Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Rectal Cancer After Preoperative Short-Course and Long-Course (Chemo) Radiotherapy

Lisette M Wiltink et al. Clin Colorectal Cancer. 2016 Sep.
Free article

Abstract

Background: Both preoperative short-course radiotherapy (SC-PRT) and preoperative long-course chemo radiotherapy (CRT) have shown to reduce local recurrence rates after total mesorectal excision (TME), but neither resulted in improved survival. This study compared the long-term health-related quality of life (HRQL) and symptoms between CRT and SC-PRT.

Methods: Patients who were preoperatively treated with a total dose of 50.0 to 50.4 Gy for locally advanced rectal cancers were identified from 2 hospital registries. Starting from 2011, all patients who were disease-free in the study population (n = 105) were sent a HRQL-questionnaire composed of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and questions on bowel and urinary function. Patients who underwent SC-PRT in the TME trial were used as a reference group.

Results: HRQL results from 85 patients receiving CRT (81.0%), with a median follow-up time of 58 months, were compared with the results of patients who underwent SC-PRT (n = 306). Apart from more nausea and vomiting reported by patients receiving CRT (mean score for CRT 5.9 vs. 1.3 for SC-PRT; P < .01; not clinically relevant) and less satisfaction with urinary function indicated by patients who received CRT (mean score for CRT 71.2 vs. 81.2 for SC-PRT; P < .01), no significant differences were found in HRQL and symptoms between patients who received CRT and SC-PRT.

Conclusions: This analysis of HRQL in patients who received CRT shows no clinically relevant differences in long-term HRQL and symptoms between patients who received CRT and SC-PRT, apart from less satisfaction with urinary function reported by patients who received CRT. These results indicate that both approaches have a comparable impact on long-term HRQL.

Keywords: Adverse effects; Chemoradiotherapy; Health-related quality of life; Long-term follow-up; Rectal cancer.

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