Reduced quality of life of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
It has been shown that health-related quality of life is reduced in patients with cirrhosis and with chronic hepatitis in relation to antiviral therapy. No data are available on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.


OBJECTIVE
To assess health-related quality of life in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.


METHODS
Health-related quality of life was assessed in 101 hepatocellular carcinoma patients by means of Short Form-36 and Nottingham Health Profile questionnaires. Final scores of domains for individual patients were compared to age-adjusted normative Italian values, using Z-score and with values obtained in 202 matched patients with cirrhosis, without hepatocellular carcinoma.


RESULTS
All Short Form-36 domains and 4 out of 6 Nottingham Health Profile domains were altered. When hepatocellular carcinoma patients were compared with matched cirrhotics, differences were present for Bodily Pain, Role Limitation-Physical, and the Physical Component Summary of Short Form-36, as well as Pain of Nottingham Health Profile. Perceived health status had changed significantly in the year prior to assessment. Health-related quality of life was not primarily related to tumour mass or hepatocellular failure, whereas sleep disorders were selected by logistic regression as strongly associated with poor health-related quality of life.


CONCLUSIONS
The present data stress the relevance of pain in poor perceived health status of hepatocellular carcinoma patients, and the importance of minor symptoms, such as sleep disorders.
Department of Internal Medicine, Alma Mater Studiorum--University of Bologna, Policlinico S. Orsola--Malpighi, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. bianmice@almadns.unibo.it
G
G
Bianchi
C
C
Loguercio
D
D
Sgarbi
R
R
Abbiati
N
N
Brunetti
T
T
De Simone
M
M
Zoli
G
G
Marchesini
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life