Purpose: Little is known about whether baseline health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores also could predict occurrence radiotherapy-related toxicities, which we aim to assess in this study.
Methods: This study analyzed data from 200 patients enrolled in randomized study investigating the utility of HRQoL. HRQOL was assessed at baseline and during follow up using QLQ-C30 questionnaire and major toxicity was considered as adverse event ≥ 3 according to NCI-CTCAE classification. Cox regressions adjusting for clinical and sociodemographic data were used to assess prognostic significance of HRQOL scores.
Results: In multivariable analyses adjusted on clinical and sociodemographic data, every 10-point improvement in physical (HR = 0.74), role (HR = 0.87) and social (HR = 0.88) functioning was associated with 24%, 13% and 12% lower hazard of occurrence of major toxicity respectively while every 10 point-increase in dyspnea (HR = and loss appetite was associated with 15% and 16% increased hazard of major toxicity.
Conclusion: Certain baseline HRQoL scores were found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of major toxicity.
Keywords: Head and neck cancer; Health related quality of life; Predictive factors.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.