Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Aug;14(2):1841-1846.
doi: 10.3892/ol.2017.6310. Epub 2017 Jun 6.

Analysis of health-related quality of life in patients with brain tumors prior and subsequent to radiotherapy

Affiliations

Analysis of health-related quality of life in patients with brain tumors prior and subsequent to radiotherapy

Claudia Bitterlich et al. Oncol Lett. 2017 Aug.

Abstract

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was evaluated for a patient cohort with benign or malignant brain tumors prior and subsequent to radiotherapy. The following inclusion criteria were applied: Sufficient compliance, understanding of patient information and the existence of a brain tumor without previous radiotherapy. Patients were asked to complete the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BN20 questionnaires at the following times: Prior to (t0) and subsequent to (t1) radiotherapy, and at 3 (t2), 6 (t3) and 12 (t4) months following treatment. In addition, at t1 the side effects were assessed according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Generally, the global QOL, a standard term describing general QOL, improved slightly (t0=49; t4=65). At t1, a significant increase in fatigue, loss of appetite and alopecia was reported. During follow-up, the symptoms experienced by the patients decreased, and the global QOL remained constant. The objectively recorded side effects of the therapy were comparable with the patient-reported outcomes.

Keywords: brain tumor; glioblastoma; meningioma; quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Global quality of life for all patients (n=30) at all time points: t0 (prior to radiotherapy), t1 (subsequent to radiotherapy), t2 (after 3 months), t3 (after 6 months) and t4 (after 12 months), as measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire, in which a higher score equated to an improved global quality of life.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Comparison of global quality of life at all time points in the GBM (palliative therapy) and meningioma (curative therapy) groups, as measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire, in which a higher score equated to an improved global quality of life. GBM, glioblastoma multiforme.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Symptom scales of all patients (n=30) at all time points: t0 (prior to radiotherapy), t1 (subsequent radiotherapy), t2 (after 3 months), t3 (after 6 months) and t4 (after 12 months), as measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer questionnaire. A higher score indicated a worse quality of life. *P<0.01.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Objective adverse side effects experienced by patients (n=30) at t1 (subsequent to radiotherapy), according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events: Grade 0, no adverse side effect; grade 1, mild; grade 2, moderate; grade 3, severe; grade 4, life-threatening or disabling adverse side effect.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Symptom scales of alopecia in the meningioma and GBM groups at all times: t0 (prior to radiotherapy), t1 (subsequent to radiotherapy), t2 (after 3 months), t3 (after 6 months) and t4 (after 12 months), as measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer BN20 questionnaire. A higher score indicated a worse quality of life. *P<0.01. GBM, glioblastoma multiforme.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Symptom scales of financial difficulties in all groups and at all times: t0 (prior to radiotherapy), t1 (subsequent to radiotherapy), t2 (after 3 months), t3 (after 6 months) and t4 (after 12 months), as measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire. A higher score indicated a worse quality of life; *P<0.01.

References

    1. Louis DN, Perry A, Reifenberger G, von Deimling A, Figarella-Branger D, Cavenee WK, Ohgaki H, Wiestler OD, Kleihues P, Ellison DW. The 2016 World Health Organization classification of tumors of the central nervous system: A summary. Acta Neuropathol. 2016;131:803–820. doi: 10.1007/s00401-016-1545-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Velikova G, Coens C, Efficace F, Greimel E, Groenvold M, Johnson C, Singer S, van de Poll-Franse L, Young T, Bottomley A. Health-related quality of life in EORTC clinical trials-30 years of progress from methodological developments to making a real impact on oncology practice. EJC Suppl. 2012;10:141–149. doi: 10.1016/S1359-6349(12)70023-X. - DOI
    1. Outcomes of cancer treatment for technology assessment and cancer treatment guidelines. American Society of Clinical Oncology. J Clin Oncol. 1996;14:671–679. doi: 10.1200/JCO.1996.14.2.671. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jocham HR, Dassen T, Widdershoven G, Halfens R. Quality of life in palliative care cancer patients: A literature review. J Clin Nurs. 2006;15:1188–1195. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01274.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Steinmann D, Vordermark D, Geinitz H, Aschoff R, Bayerl A, Gerstein J, Hipp M, van Oorschot B, Wypior HJ, Schäfer C. Proxy assessment of patients before and after radiotherapy for brain metastases. Results of a prospective study using the DEGRO brain module. Strahlenther Onkol. 2013;189:47–53. doi: 10.1007/s00066-012-0239-4. - DOI - PubMed