title: Quality of life in pancreatic cancer: analysis by stage and treatment.
abstract: In pancreatic cancer patients, survival and palliation of symptoms should be balanced with social and functional impairment, and for this reason, health-related quality of life measurements could play an important role in the decision-making process. The aim of this work was to evaluate the quality of life and survival in 92 patients with different stages of pancreatic adenocarcinoma who underwent surgical and/or medical interventions. Patients were evaluated with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy questionnaires at diagnosis and follow-up (3 and 6 months). At diagnosis, 28 patients (30.5%) had localized disease (group 1) and underwent surgical resection, 34 (37%) had locally advanced (group 2), and 30 (32.5%) metastatic disease (Group 3). Improvement in quality of life was found in group 1, while in group 3, it decreased at follow-up (p=0.03). No changes in quality of life in group 2 were found. Chemotherapy/chemoradiation seems not to significantly modify quality of life in groups 2 and 3. Median survival time for the entire cohort was 9.8 months (range, 1-24). One-year survival was 74%, 30%, and 16% for groups 1, 2, and 3 respectively (p=0.001). Pancreatic cancer prognosis is still dismal. In addition to long-term survival benefits, surgery impacts favorably quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Wang Ambulatory Care Center 460, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 15 Parkman Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crippa
authors.forename: Ismael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: J Ruben
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Oswaldo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Razo
authors.forename: Sarah P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Thayer
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Andrew L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Warshaw
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernández-del Castillo
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate