Quality of life of lung cancer patients in a randomized clinical trial evaluated by a psychosocial well-being questionnaire.
The quality of life of patients treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer is compared in a randomized study. A standardized questionnaire composed of 12 questions covering psychosocial well-being (10 question index), and global quality of life evaluation (2 questions) was used to evaluate the patient's quality of life. Data were collected before treatment was started and at 7 different occasions up to 52 weeks after the beginning of the first treatment. The psychosocial well-being index and the 2 global questions were found to have a high degree of validity in a previous study. Two weeks after the start of treatment, the psychosocial well-being index for patients receiving radiotherapy was significantly higher than for patients treated by cytostatic drugs. This observation was confirmed by the 2 global questions. No differences in the quality of life were detected in the follow-up period (6-52 weeks).
Kaasa
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Department of Medical Oncology and Radiotherapy, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo.
Mastekaasa
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A
Naess
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S
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D011897:Random Allocation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires