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
. 2018 Mar 27;18(1):350.
doi: 10.1186/s12885-018-4293-x.

Quality of life of survivors of malignant pleural mesothelioma in Japan: a cross sectional study

Yasuko Nagamatsu  1 , Isao Oze  2 , Keisuke Aoe  3 , Katsuyuki Hotta  4 , Katsuya Kato  5 , Junko Nakagawa  6 , Keiko Hara  6 , Takumi Kishimoto  7 , Nobukazu Fujimoto  8
Affiliations

Quality of life of survivors of malignant pleural mesothelioma in Japan: a cross sectional study

Yasuko Nagamatsu et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have indicated that people with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) have a poor quality of life (QOL); however, information about the QOL of people with MPM in Japan is anecdotal. The aims of this study were to investigate the QOL of survivors of MPM in Japan and to determine the factors that correlate with their QOL.

Methods: This was a cross sectional study. The included patients were those diagnosed with MPM in Japan. We created a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 64 questions. The questionnaires were sent to hospitals and patient advocacy groups, distributed to the patients, completed, and sent back to the researchers by postal mail. QOL was assessed with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 16 questionnaire (QLQ) and the short version of the core domains of the Comprehensive Quality of Life Outcome questionnaire (CoQoLo).

Results: In total, 133 questionnaires were collected. The QLQ assessments demonstrated that the survivors of MPM most frequently complained of fatigue, pain, sleep disturbances, and dyspnea. The symptom scales were acceptable, but the functional scales were significantly poorer for the patients with poor performance statuses (PSs). The short CoQoLo assessment was very unfavorable for 'Being free from physical pain.' Being a long-term survivor and a survivor with a poor PS were significantly correlated with poor global health status.

Conclusions: Survivors of MPM have impaired function, a variety of symptoms, and lower QOL. Survivors of MPM, even those in good physical condition, need broad support.

Keywords: Asbestos; CoQoLo; Mesothelioma; Palliative care; Quality of life; Questionnaire.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the institutional review board of Okayama Rosai Hospital (approval no. 2017–22). This study was also approved by the institutional review board of each hospital or institution that distributed the questionnaire to their patients according to their policy. The study was conducted based on the ethical principles of avoiding harm, voluntary participation, anonymity, and protection of privacy and personal information. The purpose, procedures, and confidentiality of the study were explained in written format. The participants were informed that nonparticipation would not disadvantage them. Return of the answered questionnaire was considered to constitute the patient’s consent.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. World Health Organization . Chrysotile asbestos. 2014.
    1. World Health Organization . Elimination of asbestos-related diseases. 2006.
    1. Kao SC, Reid G, Lee K, Vardy J, Clarke S, van Zandwijk N. Malignant mesothelioma. Intern Med J. 2010;40:742–750. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2010.02223.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. van Zandwijk N, Clarke C, Henderson D, Musk AW, Fong K, Nowak A, et al. Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. J Thorac Dis. 2013;5:254–307. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hasegawa S, Okada M, Tanaka F, Yamanaka T, Soejima T, Kamikonya N, et al. Trimodality strategy for treating malignant pleural mesothelioma: results of a feasibility study of induction pemetrexed plus cisplatin followed by extrapleural pneumonectomy and postoperative hemithoracic radiation (Japan mesothelioma interest group 0601 trial) Int J Clin Oncol. 2016;21:523–530. doi: 10.1007/s10147-015-0925-1. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types