Quality of life in long-term survivors treated for metastatic medulloblastoma with a hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy (HART) strategy.

Abstract

An intensive therapeutic strategy for metastatic medulloblastoma was launched in 1998 in our Institution. The aim of this study was to examine the long-term quality of life (QoL) in survivor patients at least 3years after the end of the treatment. Patients were asked to complete self-administered QoL questionnaires. An index of physical impairment (IPI) was scored (range 0-100; the lower the score the better) based on clinical objective observations. Patients were divided into two groups (lower IPI group, and higher IPI group) and descriptively compared accordingly. The study was completed by 25/33 eligible patients. Despite patients with a higher IPI reported worse perceived health condition, they had better emotional and psychological scores than those with a lower IPI in all QoL questionnaires. In our sample, patients with more severe objective and perceived physical impairments reported a better psychosocial QoL, possibly because the greater attention paid to them by society and family contributes to a better adjustment in long-term survivors. On this base, it should be recommended that all survivors receive a strong support as the most impaired patients.