[Assessment of quality of life in lung cancer patients].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to describe lung cancer patients' quality of life, measuring physical, psychological and social parameters, and general and specific symptoms of the disease using different questionnaires.


METHODS
103 primary lung cancer patients who were between 20 and 80 years old and recruited during one year were included. All patients fulfilled the generic health related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire SF-36 and the specific EORTC-C30. Also sociodemographic and clinical important data were collected. Differences in aspects of perceived quality of life by diagnostic group and stage were analysed.


RESULTS
The results indicate that the patients with a higher disease stage had worse perception of their quality of life in comparison with patients in a lower stage of the disease. Likewise, small cell lung cancer patients, overall, showed a worse perception of their quality of life than non-small cell lung cancer patients. These differences were shown either by generic and the specific questionnaire scores.


CONCLUSIONS
The results obtained in the study show that the SF-36 and EORTC capture the differences in the perceived quality of life in patients by diagnosis and evolution stage of the disease. All quality of life areas were already affected at the moment of the diagnosis of the disease. The scores of both questionnaires are coherent with clinical evaluation, based on the clinical stage, which support the discriminative validity of those instruments.
Etxeberria
Y
Y
Servicio de Epidemiología. Hospital de Galdakao. Bizkaia.
Pérez-Izquierdo
J
J
Badiola
C
C
Quintana
J M
JM
Padierna
A
A
Aróstegui
I
I
Capelastegui
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002283:Carcinoma, Bronchogenic / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult