title: Health-related quality of life in elderly patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma treated with short-course radiation therapy plus concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the quality of life (QOL) in elderly patients with glioblastoma (GBM) treated with an abbreviated course of radiation therapy (RT; 40 Gy in 15 fractions) plus concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ).
  
  
  METHODS
  Health-related QOL (HRQOL) was assessed by European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 (QLQ-C30, version 3) and EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Brain Cancer Module (QLQ-BN20). Changes from baseline in the score of 9 preselected domains (global QLQ, social functioning, cognitive functioning, emotional functioning, physical functioning, motor dysfunction, communication deficit, fatigue, insomnia) were determined 4 weeks after RT and thereafter every 8 weeks during the treatment until disease progression. The proportion of patients with improved HRQOL scores, defined as a change of 10 points or more, and duration of changes were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-five patients completed the questionnaires at baseline. The treatment was consistently associated with improvement or stability in most of the preselected HRQOL domains. Global health improved over time; mean score differed by 9.6 points between baseline and 6-month follow-up (P=.03). For social functioning and cognitive functioning, mean scores improved over time, with a maximum difference of 10.4 points and 9.5 points between baseline and 6-month follow-up (P=.01 and P=.02), respectively. By contrast, fatigue worsened over time, with a difference in mean score of 5.6 points between baseline and 4-month follow-up (P=.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A short course of RT in combination with TMZ in elderly patients with GBM was associated with survival benefit without a negative effect on HRQOL until the time of disease progression.
authors: Department of Radiation Oncology, Sant' Andrea Hospital, University Sapienza, Rome, Italy. gminniti@ospedalesantandrea.it
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Minniti
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Scaringi
authors: Alessandra
authors: A
authors: Baldoni
authors: Gaetano
authors: G
authors: Lanzetta
authors: Vitaliana
authors: V
authors: De Sanctis
authors: Vincenzo
authors: V
authors: Esposito
authors: Riccardo Maurizi
authors: RM
authors: Enrici
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000379:methods; D003142:Communication; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018450:Disease Progression; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D058992:Social Participation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000077204:Temozolomide
chemical_list: D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D003606:Dacarbazine; D000077204:Temozolomide