title: Quality of life in patients with prostate cancer treated with radical image-guided radiotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The evaluation of quality of life during image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) in patients with prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study consisted of 180 prostate cancer patients treated with radical radiotherapy (IGRT). The patients were irradiated using conformal or dynamic techniques with 2 Gy fractionation doses to a total dose of 76 Gy. Patients in the high-risk group (41%) were also irradiated to the pelvic lymph nodes. Quality of life was assessed with EORTC questionnaires: general QLQ-C30 and prostate-specific module QLQ-PR25, which were filled in by patients before and upon completion of radiotherapy. A change of ≥ 10 points in a linearised scale (0-100) was considered clinically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Global quality of life decreased slightly during radiotherapy (from 61 to 57 points), but from the clinical point of view, likewise most of the other quality of life parameters remained stable. In the general module (QLQ-C30) only diarrhoea changed in a clinically relevant way, i.e. by 10 points (from 10 to 20 points), which was mainly observed in patients with elective pelvic irradiation (increase of 18 points, from 10 to 28 points). In the prostate-specific module (QLQ-PR25) only urinary symptoms changed significantly, i.e. by 13 points (from 24 to 37 points).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The quality of life in patients with prostate cancer does not change in a clinically significant way during radiotherapy, which corroborates good treatment tolerance. Increased urinary symptoms and, in the case of pelvic irradiation, also increased diarrhoea have a negative impact on symptom-related quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Maria Skłodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Poland.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Majewski
authors.affiliation: Doctoral Degree Programme to Medical University of Silesia, Faculty of Medicine and Division of Medical Dentistry in Zabrze, Poland.
authors.forename: Kamil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tabor
authors.affiliation: Doctoral Degree Programme to Medical University of Silesia, Faculty of Medicine and Division of Medical Dentistry in Zabrze, Poland.
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prokop
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy and Brachytherapy Planning, Maria Skłodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Poland.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kulik
keywords: IGRT; prostate cancer; quality of life; radiotherapy