This is the Scientific Surgery Archive, which contains all randomized clinical trials in surgery that have been identified by searching the top 50 English language medical journal issues since January 1998. Compiled by Jonothan J. Earnshaw, former Editor-in-Chief, BJS
Prognostic value of quality of life scores in patients with oesophageal cancer. BJS 2000; 87: 365-365.
Published: 6th December 2002
Authors: J. M. Blazeby, S. T. Brookes, D. Alderson
Method
Between 1993 and 1995, 89 consecutive new patients with oesophageal cancer completed baseline QL assessments with the EORTC QLQ‐C30 questionnaire and the dysphagia scale from the oesophageal cancer module. Cox's proportional hazards models were used to assess the impact of QL variables on survival (82 patients have died).
Results
Univariate analyses revealed that better baseline physical and role function scores were significantly associated with increased survival (P ≤ 0·001) and worse fatigue, appetite loss and constipation scores were significantly associated with shorter survival (P < 0·01). Multivariate analysis, taking account of associations between the QL scores and adjusting for age, tumour node metastasis classification T, N and M stage, showed that only physical function at baseline remained significantly associated with survival (P = 0·002); adjusting for sex, histology and comorbid disease did not alter the findings.