Abstract
Background Considering the physical decline of patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, assessing their health-related quality of life becomes a matter of major concern. Methods Observational, prospective, multicenter study including patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who started first‐line chemotherapy in 12 Spanish centers. Treatment and clinical characteristics were recorded at baseline. Patients’ health-related quality of life, ECOG, and Karnofsky index were measured at baseline, at Days 15 and 30, and every four weeks up to 6 months of chemotherapy. Health-related quality of life was measured using the EORTC-QLQ‐C30 and EQ-5D questionnaires. Other endpoints included overall survival and progression‐free survival. Results The study sample included 116 patients (median age of 65 years). Mean (SD) scores for the QLQ-C30 global health status scale showed a significant increasing trend throughout the treatment (p=0.005). Patients with either a Karnofsky index of 70-80 or ECOG 2 showed greater improvement in the QLQ-C30 global health status score than the corresponding groups with better performance status (p≤0.010). Pain, appetite, sleep disturbance, nausea, and constipation significantly improved throughout the treatment (p<0.005). Patients with QLQ-C30 global health status scores ≥50 at baseline had significantly greater overall survival and progression-free survival (p=0.005 and p=0.021, respectively). No significant associations were observed regarding the EQ-5D score. Conclusions Most metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients receiving first-line chemotherapy improved their health-related quality of life throughout the treatment. Patients with lower performance status and health-related quality of life at baseline tended to greater improvement. The EORTC QLQ-C30 scale is suitable for measuring the health-related quality of life of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients receiving first-line chemotherapy.
Sequential FOLFIRI.3 + Gemcitabine Improves Health-Related Quality of Life Deterioration-Free Survival of Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A Randomized Phase II Trial
