Quality of life as predictor of survival: A prospective study on patients treated with combined surgery and radiotherapy for advanced oral and oropharyngeal cancer

Oskam, Inge M.; Verdonck-de Leeuw, Irma M.; Aaronson, Neil K.; Kuik, Dirk J.; Bree, Remco de; Doornaert, Patricia; Langendijk, Johannes A.; Leemans, René C.

doi:10.1016/j.radonc.2010.02.005

« Previous Next »Radiotherapy & Oncology
Volume 97, Issue 2 , Pages 258-262, November 2010

Quality of life as predictor of survival: A prospective study on patients treated with combined surgery and radiotherapy for advanced oral and oropharyngeal cancer

Inge M. Oskam
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Irma M. Verdonck-de Leeuw
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Corresponding author. Address: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, VU University Medical Center, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Neil K. Aaronson
- Division of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Dirk J. Kuik
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Remco de Bree
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Patricia Doornaert
- Department of Radiation Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Johannes A. Langendijk
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
René C. Leemans
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Received 16 June 2008; received in revised form 8 February 2010; accepted 8 February 2010. published online 02 March 2010.

Abstract

Background and purpose

The relation between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and survival was investigated at baseline and 6months in 80 patients with advanced oral or oropharyngeal cancer after microvascular reconstructive surgery and (almost all) adjuvant radiotherapy.

Materials and methods

Multivariate Cox regression analyses of overall and disease-specific survival were performed including sociodemographic (age, gender, marital status, comorbidity), and clinical (tumor stage and site, radical surgical, metastasis, radiotherapy) parameters, and HRQOL (EORTC QLQ-C30 global quality of life scale).

Results

Before treatment, younger age and having a partner were predictors of disease-specific survival; younger age predicted overall survival. At 6months post-treatment, disease-specific and overall survival was predicted by (deterioration of) global quality of life solely. Global health-related quality of life after treatment was mainly influenced by emotional functioning.

Conclusion

Deterioration of global quality of life after treatment is an independent predictor of survival in patients with advanced oral or oropharyngeal cancer.

Keywords: Head and neck cancer, Oropharyngeal cancer, Health-related quality of life, Survival