Quality of life in patients with skeletal metastases of prostate cancer and status prior to start of endocrine therapy: results from the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group Study 5.
OBJECTIVE
Prostate cancer (PC) is a highly lethal neoplastic disease affecting the physical, mental and social well-being of patients, i.e. their quality of life (QOL). Patients suffering from metastatic PC are faced with serious decisions regarding treatment strategies. Therefore, QOL information has become a crucial element of decision making in this group of patients. The first objective of this study was to describe QOL in a group of patients diagnosed with metastatic PC and skeletal metastases. At the time of evaluation the patients had not received any treatment but were evaluated before entering a study of androgen-modulating therapy (the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group study 5). The second objective was to identify demographic and disease-related factors affecting QOL.


METHODS
A total of 917 patients with metastatic PC were evaluated using a well-described and validated questionnaire [European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life Questionnaire-C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30)]. The characteristics of the PC were noted, and simultaneously patients were evaluated with respect to use of analgesics, pain and performance status using a scoring system. Biochemical tests were performed when patients entered the study. A multivariate regression analysis was performed to analyse the correlations between QOL scores, patient demographics and disease-related data.


RESULTS
The patients reported QOL scores significantly lower than those in the background population. Pain and fatigue were pronounced, whereas dyspnoea, insomnia, loss of appetite, constipation and diarrhoea were less prominent. Patients with high tumour grades, high PSPA scores (the sum of the pain score, the performance status and the use of analgesics) and those using analgesics had significantly lower QOL scores than the other patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with metastatic PC have reduced QOL. Our findings are in line with those of other studies of QOL among patients with this disease as evaluated by means of the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Baseline data from studies like this provide important information when treatment modalities for PC are evaluated.
Jønler
Morten
M
Department of Urology, Aalborg Hospital, 9100 Aalborg, Denmark. jonler @dadlnet.dk
Nielsen
Ole Steen
OS
Groenvold
Mogens
M
Hedlund
Per Olov
PO
Damber
Lena
L
Hedelin
Hans
H
Waldén
Mauritz
M
D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology* / Q000556:secondary*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004967:Estrogens / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D004967:Estrogens; D004958:Estradiol; C008958:polyestradiol phosphate