Quality of life in patients with endometrial carcinoma: A Longitudinal Study

Quality of Life of Caregivers of Patients with Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Cancer is a chronic and serious disease that has a wide range of effects on patients, some of which extend to family members and primary caregivers (PCs), thereby affecting their quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to evaluate the QOL of PCs of patients with cancer and to investigate the sociodemographic and other factors that impact PCs' QOL. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Princess Noura Oncology Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, and included 235 PCs. A short-form health survey-the SF-36, which includes eight domains-was used to measure the QOL of patients' PCs. Results: The relationship between the QOL of PCs and the characteristics of patients and PCs was examined. The QOL of PCs was associated with several variables. Multiple regression analysis showed that older age, female sex, and caring for patients with hematological malignancies were independent, significant variables associated with lower PCs' QOL, whereas PCs caring for female patients experienced a better QOL. Conclusions: These findings highlight the essential aspects of caregivers' QOL and their influencing factors. To better understand the implications of these factors, future studies are required to demonstrate the effects of patient- and disease-related factors on PCs' QOL.

Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life in Thai Endometrial Cancer Patients: A Comparative Analysis Using EQ5D Utility Scores Across States

BACKGROUND

Rates of endometrial cancer, the sixth most common in women, are rising. HRQoL, reflecting health beyond clinical contexts, includes disabilities and daily functioning impacts. Measured by various tools such as EuroQoL-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D-5L), it aids in economic evaluation of interventions.

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to analyze Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), measured by the EQ-5D-5L instrument, in different states of endometrial cancer (EC) patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We conducted a cross-sectional study on EC patients who underwent follow-up at Siriraj Hospital, Thailand, between January and June 2023. Patients were classified into five groups: early state, advanced state, curative state, locoregional recurrent state, and distant recurrent/progression state. Demographic and socioeconomic data were collected. EQ-5D-5L and visual analog scale instruments (EQ-VAS) were used to compared between disease states. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient characteristics, and the Mann-Whitney U test (p ≤ 0.05) compared EQ-5D-5L scores across groups. The study included 56 EC patients, with a mean age of 60.1 ± 10.9 years and a mean BMI of 26.8 ± 5.3 kg/m2. The EQ-5D scores were as follows: 0.9055 (IQR 0.8193-0.9436) for the early state, 0.8308 (IQR 0.7997-0.8611) for the advanced state, 0.9235 (IQR 0.8521-0.9855) for the curative state, 0.9096 (IQR 0.6249-0.9577) for the locoregional recurrent state and 0.5778 (IQR 0.2884-0.8521) for the distant recurrent/progressive state. The median EQ-VAS for each state was 70, 75, 82.5, 75, and 65, respectively. The EQ-5D values had significantly deteriorated after distant metastasis/progression compared to curative states (p-value = 0.003). Mobility and pain/discomfort appeared to be the two main concerns.

CONCLUSION

The findings show the substantial negative impact of distant metastasis or disease progression on HRQoL. These findings will be used to guide future economic research in the field of endometrial cancer treatment.

Cochrane Gynaecological, Neuro-oncology and Orphan Cancer Group, Raffone A, Raimondo D, Maletta M, Saccone G, Travaglino A, Seracchioli R, Casadio P, Mollo A. Impact of ovarian preservation on survival for women with endometrial carcinoma

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows:

Primary objective will be to evaluate the impact of ovarian preservation on survival outcomes of women with endometrial cancer, while secondary objectives will be to evaluate the impact of ovarian preservation on adverse events and quality of life (QoL).

Self-reported quality of life as a predictor of mortality in renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

This study evaluated the utility of self-reported quality of life (QOL) metrics in predicting mortality among all-comers with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and externally tested the findings in a registry of patients with small renal masses.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (SEER-MHOS) captured QOL metrics composed of mental component summary (MCS) and physical component summary (PCS) scores. Regression models assessed associations of MCS and PCS with all-cause, RCC-specific, and non-RCC-specific mortality. Harrell's concordance statistic (the C-index) and the Akaike information criterion (AIC) determined predictive accuracy and parsimony, respectively. Findings were tested in the prospective Delayed Intervention and Surveillance for Small Renal Masses (DISSRM) registry.

RESULTS

In SEER-MHOS, 1494 patients had a median age of 73.4 years and a median follow-up time of 5.6 years. Each additional MCS and PCS point reduced the hazard of all-cause mortality by 1.3% (95% CI, 0.981-0.993; P < .001) and 2.3% (95% CI, 0.971-0.984; P < .001), respectively. Models with QOL metrics demonstrated higher predictive accuracy (C-index, 72.3% vs 70.1%) and parsimony (AIC, 9376.5 vs 9454.5) than models without QOL metrics. QOL metrics exerted a greater effect on non-RCC-specific mortality than RCC-specific mortality. External testing in the DISSRM registry confirmed these findings with similar results for all-cause mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Models with self-reported QOL metrics predicted all-cause mortality in patients with RCC with higher accuracy and parsimony than those without QOL metrics. Physical health was a stronger predictor of mortality than mental health. The findings support the incorporation of QOL metrics into prognostic models and patient counseling for RCC.