Table 4.
Multiple linear regression analysis for global quality of life and xerostomia
| Xerostomia | Global quality of life | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | β | SE | p | β | SE | p |
| Sociodemographic variables | ||||||
| Age: <40 v 40~60 v ≥60 years | -0.7 | 2.5 | NS | -0.2 | 1.6 | NS |
| Gender: female v male | -1.7 | 3.5 | NS | 0.5 | 2.2 | NS |
| Education years: ≤ 6 v 6~12 v >12 | 1.2 | 3.6 | NS | 3.2 | 1.3 | NS |
| Marital status: with v without spouse | -2.6 | 3.1 | NS | -3.0 | 2.0 | NS |
| Annual family income: <1.2 v ≥1.2 (million NTD) | -4.0 | 2.5 | NS | 5.2 | 1.6 | <0.01 |
| Clinical variables | ||||||
| CCI score: 0 v ≥ 1 | 5.2 | 2.5 | 0.034 | -6.1 | 1.6 | <0.01 |
| Tumor site: Nasopharynx v others | -9.1 | 4.3 | 0.036 | -0.9 | 2.7 | NS |
| AJCC stage: stage I-II v III-IV | 1.5 | 3.1 | NS | 0.2 | 2.0 | NS |
| Treatment methods: S + RT v S + RT+ C/T v RT±C/T | 3.0 | 3.7 | NS | -1.8 | 2.3 | NS |
| RT technique: 2DRT v 3DCRT/IMRT | -12.2 | 2.7 | <0.01 | 7.7 | 1.7 | <0.01 |
| Follow-up years: 2~3 v 3~5 v > 5 | 0.2 | 2.9 | NS | 1.6 | 1.9 | NS |
β: un-standardized regression coefficient; SE: standard error; R2 = 0.072 in the model for xerostomia; R2 = 0.077 in the model for global quality of life; NTD: New Taiwan Dollar (1 USD = 33 NTD); CCI: Charlson comorbidity index; AJCC: American Joint of Cancer Committee published in 2002; S: surgery; RT: radiotherapy; C/T: chemotherapy; 2DRT: two dimensional RT; 3DCRT: three dimensional conformal RT; IMRT: intensity modulated RT; NS: not significant.