title: Evaluation of health-related quality of life and its main influencing factors in a Polish population of patients with bone metastases.
abstract: Regardless of cancer type, the skeleton is one of the most common sites for cancer spread. Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) can be considered a primary endpoint in clinical trials concerning cancer patients with palliative disease. The proper measurement of this endpoint requires valid and reliable instruments. The aim of this study was to evaluate HRQoL and its main influencing factors using validated EORTC tools - the QLQ-C30 and the QLQ-BM22 in Polish population of patients with skeletal metastases.
  
  
  
  Patients with bone metastases and histologically confirmed malignancy were qualified for the study. They filled out a personal questionnaire, the Polish version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and its supplementary module QLQ-BM22. The influence of numerous socio-clinical factors such as age, gender, working status, level of education, performance status, primary location, and previous treatment received was assessed.
  
  
  
  One hundred and ten patients (65 women) were enrolled into this study (mean age ±SD; 57.8±13.8). The most significant HRQoL issues were fatigue (59.29/100); pain (56.97/100) and insomnia (56.36/100). Men coped worse with pain (p=0.013), fatigue (p=0.050), nausea and vomiting (p=0.024) and financial difficulties (p=0.016) than women.
  
  
  
  The main factors influencing HRQoL in Polish patients with bone metastases are fatigue, pain and insomnia, and as such should be a primary focus of patient-centered care in this group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Oncology, University Hospital in Krakow, Poland; Department of Oncology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland. Electronic address: miroslawa.puskulluoglu@uj.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Mirosława
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Püsküllüoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Oncology, University Hospital in Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Aneta L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Zygulska
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Iwona M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Tomaszewska
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Oncology, University Hospital in Krakow, Poland; Department of Oncology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ochenduszko
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Oncology, University Hospital in Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Kamil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konopka
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Tomaszewski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: EORTC; QLQ-BM22; QLQ-C30; bone metastases; quality-of-life