Abstract
Impaired quality of life (QOL) is common in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. In this study, we used a large hospital-based multiethnic HCC patient cohort to systematically identify factors associated with QOL and investigate the prognostic value of QOL.The Short Form-12 questionnaire was used to assess QOL. The Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores were categorized into three groups (low, medium, and high) and ordered logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association of PCS and MCS scores with patient characteristics. The association of PCS and MCS scores with mortality was assessed by Cox regression analysis.Notably, a panel of elevated systemic inflammatory response markers was associated with poor QOL. Other significant factors associated with QOL included age, liver function, sex, smoking, HCC etiology, and major clinical features. Patients with low (hazard ratio [95% CI], 1.72 [1.36-2.17]) and medium (1.52 [1.23-1.89]) PCS scores exhibited higher risks of death compared to patients with high PCS score. The association of MCS with the risk of death was not significant. These observations were consistent across all the different ethnicities.The identified factors associated with QOL may help clinicians formulate interventions to improve QOL and outcomes in HCC patients.
Highlights
Liver cancer was the sixth most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality globally with an estimated 841,080 new cases and 781,631 deaths in 2018 [1]
We identified multiple socio-demographic, clinical, and biochemical factors were associated with quality of life (QOL); these factors were similar among different races and ethnicities
We found that physical QOL after diagnosis was a significant prognostic indicator for survival and this effect was consistent across different races and ethnicities
Summary
Liver cancer was the sixth most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality globally with an estimated 841,080 new cases and 781,631 deaths in 2018 [1]. In the United States, the age-adjusted incidence rates of liver cancer tripled between 1975 and 2011 because of the increased burden of hepatitis C infection [2]. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 75% to 85% of primary liver cancers [1] and is a leading cause of death among patients diagnosed with cirrhosis [4]. Quality of life (QOL) has become a subject of paramount importance for liver cancer patients [5, 6]. The development of HCC is closely associated with an established background of chronic liver disease and impaired QOL [7, 8]. Previous studies have consistently shown that QOL is a prognostic indicator of survival in patients with HCC, with a high baseline QOL being associated with longer overall survival (OS) [9,10,11,12,13,14,15]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
