title: Quality of life and radiotherapy complications of Chinese nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients at different 3DCRT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  the study aimed to compare the quality of life (QOL) and radiotherapy complications among Chinese nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients at different 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) stages adjusting for other variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  511 NPC patients at different 3DCRT stages were enrolled. They were interviewed regarding SF-36, complications and socio-demographic variables and cancer- or treatment- related variables. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) based on SF-36, complications scores as dependent variables, 3DCRT stages as independent variables, and other variables as covariate were established.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The influencing factors of PCS included 3DCRT stages and age group. The influencing factors of MCS included 3DCRT stages and income. Most QOL scores of NPC patients were significantly associated with 3DCRT stage, after accounting for other variables. QOL scores of the patients receiving 3DCRT were the lowest, QOL scores of people after 3DCRT gradually increased. PCS scores of people greater than 5 years after 3DCRT was improved to or even better than the level before 3DCRT. The complications with significantly different scores of patients at different 3DCRT status included xerostomia, throat ache, hypogeusia, caries, hearing loss, snuffles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinicians should pay more attention to older NPC patients and patients with lower income. When patients receive 3DCRT, measures should be taken to reduce radiation injury to improve the patients' QOL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Centre, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Mo-Fa
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Xin-Lin
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wei-Ling
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Zhen-Yu
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Jian-Jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Miao-Qiu
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chuan-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yuan-Ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Diao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D002277:Carcinoma; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D050397:Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult