title: Quality of life and performance status in patients with pancreatic and periampullary tumors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To determine if pretreatment quality of life is associated with performance status in patients with pancreatic and periampullary tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty consecutive patients evaluated for surgical treatment of pancreatic or periampullary tumors completed the social functioning SF-36, a generic quality of life instrument. This instrument measures 8 domains of quality of life: physical functioning (PF), role-physical (RP), role-emotional, bodily pain, vitality, mental health, social functioning, and general health (GH). The best possible score is 100 and the worst possible score is 0. Each patient was then assigned a Karnofsky performance score (KPS), with the best possible score of 100 (normal, no complaints, no evidence of disease) and worst score of 0 (dead). Data recorded included age, gender, pathology, stage, resection, use of chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Statistical analysis was done using single and multiple linear regression analysis, correlation coefficients (r) and coefficient of determination (r (2)).
  
  
  RESULTS
  KPS was significantly associated with all domains of the SF-36 by single linear regression. By multiple linear regression, KPS was significantly associated with the PF domain (p < 0.001, r = 0.74), and nearly significantly associated with the RP (p = 0.07, r = 0.62) and GH (p = 0.06, r = 0.64) domains. This appears to be independent of tumor pathology and stage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results imply that pretreatment quality of life and performance status are related concepts in patients with pancreatic and periampullary tumors. This is primarily true for the physical component of the SF-36. However, despite statistical significance, coefficients of determination (r (2) values) suggest that there are additional factors determining both quality of life and performance status in patients with pancreatic and periampullary tumors.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, K-8, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA. vvelano1@hfhs.org
authors.forename: Vic
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Velanovich
authors.forename: Ira
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wollner
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires