Table 2. Baseline values (mean ± standard deviation) of the EORTC-QLQ-C30 scale values of patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer who were or were not able to attend at least one follow-up visit (i.e., respectively, the evaluable population, with 96 patients treated with mistletoe and 72 control patients, and the non-evaluable population, with 14 patients treated with mistletoe and 38 control patients).*.
| EORTC scale | Group | Non-evaluable population | Evaluablepopulation | Factor for inclusion in the evaluable population | Evaluable population, mistletoe therapy vs. control | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | SD | Mean | SD | p-value | p-value | ||
| Global quality of health | Mistletoe treatment | 29.2 | ± 7.1 | 32.0 | ±11.6 | 0.0385 | 0.1531 |
| Control | 29.4 | ± 11.6 | 34.8 | ± 13.2 | |||
| Role functioning | Mistletoe treatment | 56.0 | ± 19.2 | 63.0 | ± 18.0 | 0.7597 | 0.8847 |
| Control | 62.3 | ± 20.4 | 63.4 | ± 17.8 | |||
| Social functioning | Mistletoe treatment | 58.3 | ± 22.4 | 61.5 | ± 21.0 | 0.6133 | 0.2540 |
| Control | 67.1 | ± 22.1 | 65.0 | ± 19.4 | |||
| Cognitive functioning | Mistletoe treatment | 71.4 | ± 22.1 | 73.1 | ± 21.4 | 0.8804 | 0.6199 |
| Control | 75.4 | ± 23.2 | 74.8 | ± 21.8 | |||
| Physical functioning | Mistletoe treatment | 71.9 | ± 13.4 | 76.7 | ± 12.8 | 0.1265 | 0.7715 |
| Control | 71.1 | ± 16.1 | 76.0 | ± 15.3 | |||
| Emotional functioning | Mistletoe treatment | 71.4 | ± 21.1 | 75.1 | ± 19.7 | 0.6903 | 0.1408 |
| Control | 80.8 | ± 18.8 | 79.4 | ± 17.9 | |||
| Pain | Mistletoe treatment | 52.4 | ± 18.3 | 48.1 | ± 17.9 | 0.3786 | 0.9120 |
| Control | 51.3 | ± 17.9 | 48.4 | ± 15.9 | |||
| Fatigue | Mistletoe treatment | 50.0 | ± 13.6 | 48.0 | ± 15.7 | 0.5534 | 0.5467 |
| Control | 48.5 | ± 18.9 | 46.6 | ± 14.8 | |||
| Appetite loss | Mistletoe treatment | 42.9 | ± 24.2 | 37.2 | ± 21.6 | 0.3954 | 0.3066 |
| Control | 37.7 | ± 27.0 | 33.8 | ± 20.6 | |||
| Financial problems | Mistletoe treatment | 40.5 | ± 23.3 | 39.2 | ± 22.7 | 0.9385 | 0.0375 |
| Control | 31.6 | ± 26.8 | 31.9 | ± 22.0 | |||
| Insomnia | Mistletoe treatment | 35.7 | ± 27.6 | 30.6 | ± 25.0 | 0.3413 | 0.5266 |
| Control | 23.7 | ± 26.7 | 28.2 | ± 22.1 | |||
| Nausea/vomiting | Mistletoe treatment | 15.5 | ± 13.8 | 13.4 | ± 14.2 | 0.5058 | 0.5229 |
| Control | 12.7 | ± 17.5 | 14.8 | ± 14.7 | |||
| Diarrhea | Mistletoe treatment | 0.0 | ± 0.0 | 2.4 | ± 8.7 | 0.6498 | 0.0517 |
| Control | 0.9 | ± 5.4 | 0.5 | ± 3.9 | |||
| Constipation | Mistletoe treatment | 0.0 | ± 0.0 | 0.7 | ± 4.8 | 0.9883 | 0.1584 |
| Control | 0.0 | ± 0.0 | 0.0 | ± 0.0 | |||
| Dyspnea | Mistletoe treatment | 0.0 | ± 0.0 | 0.0 | ± 0.0 | – | – |
| Control | 0.0 | ± 0.0 | 0.9 | ± 7.9 | |||
*The function scales are arranged in increasing order of baseline values, and the symptom scales in decreasing order. A significant influence of any particular variable on inclusion in the QoL population was determined with the aid of logistic regression with the variable in question and the interaction between this variable and the treatment groups (factor for inclusion in the evaluable population). The two treatment groups within the evaluable population were compared with a t-test.
Effects that could not be estimated because a factor was too weak are designated with a dash.
EORTC QLQ-C30. European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30;
SD, standard deviation.