The Health-Related Quality of Life and Survival of Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients: Results of a Companion Study to CALGB 9033

• Published in: Quality of life research Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 235 - 248
• Main Authors: M. J. Naughton, J. E. Herndon, II, S. A. Shumaker, Miller, A. A., Kornblith, A. B., D. Chao, Holland, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Kluwer Academic Publishers 01.05.2002; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Appetite; Carcinoma, Small Cell - diagnosis; Carcinoma, Small Cell - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Small Cell - mortality; Chemotherapy; Cisplatin - administration & dosage; Demography; Depressive disorders; Drug Monitoring - methods; Etoposide - administration & dosage; Experimentation; Female; Humans; Linear Models; Liver; Lung cancer; Lung neoplasms; Male; Medical prognosis; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Proportional Hazards Models; Quality of Life; Small cell lung carcinoma; Surveys and Questionnaires; Survival Rate; Symptoms
• ISSN: 0962-9343; 1573-2649
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1015257121369

The purposes of this study were 2-fold: to evaluate the impact of the schedule dependency of etoposide (3-day IV short course vs. a 21-day oral prolonged course) with cisplatin on the quality of life of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients; and to examine the effect of baseline quality of life variables on long-term survival, after adjustment for known demographic and clinical prognostic factors. Participants were 70 patients enrolled in the cancer and leukemia group B (CALGB) protocol 9033. Quality of life was assessed at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks by: the EORTC QLQ-30, the Centers for epidemiology studies - Depression short form, the medical outcomes study (MOS) social support questionnaire, and a scale of sleep quality. Contrary to expectations, study results suggested no significant differences in the patients' life quality and treatment response based on whether they received etoposide in a 3-day IV vs. a 21-day oral regimen. The use of the baseline variables in predicting overall survival indicated that patients who were non-white and with liver involvement had decreased survival. Brain involvement, being male, and higher depressive symptoms were also found to be borderline significant in predicting decreased survival in this patient population.