Table 3.
Changes of quality of life for 104 NPC patients treated by IMRT or VMAT with completions of all questionnaires at the four time points
| All | ti1 | ti2 | ti3 | ti4 | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EORTC QLQ-C30 | |||||
| Global quality of Life | 53†‡§ | 34¶※ | 56# | 67 | < 0.01 |
| Physical functioning | 92†‡ | 81¶※ | 88 | 92 | < 0.01 |
| Role functioning | 92†‡ | 70¶※ | 88 | 93 | < 0.01 |
| Emotional functioning | 79†‡ | 72¶※ | 85 | 85 | < 0.01 |
| Cognitive functioning | 85† | 77¶※ | 85 | 85 | < 0.01 |
| Social functioning | 75†§ | 66¶※ | 77# | 87 | < 0.01 |
| Fatigue | 21†‡ | 46¶※ | 29# | 18 | < 0.01 |
| Nausea and vomiting | 8† | 42¶※ | 12 | 7 | < 0.01 |
| Pain | 16† | 39¶※ | 15 | 13 | < 0.01 |
| Dyspnea | 8 | 11 | 8 | 6 | NS |
| Insomnia | 26 | 32¶※ | 21 | 22 | < 0.01 |
| Appetite loss | 14†‡ | 62¶※ | 28# | 13 | < 0.01 |
| Constipation | 12† | 27¶※ | 18 | 17 | < 0.01 |
| Diarrhea | 11 | 12 | 10 | 8 | NS |
| Financial difficulties | 21 | 22 | 22 | 18 | NS |
| EORTC QLQ-HN35 | |||||
| Pain | 5†‡ | 40¶※ | 12 | 7 | < 0.01 |
| Swallowing | 5†‡§ | 42¶※ | 20 | 16 | < 0.01 |
| Senses (taste/smell) | 8†‡§ | 51¶※ | 29# | 17 | < 0.01 |
| Speech | 6†‡§ | 27¶※ | 16 | 13 | < 0.01 |
| Social eating | 4†‡§ | 48¶※ | 22# | 11 | < 0.01 |
| Social contact | 4†‡ | 20¶※ | 10 | 6 | < 0.01 |
| Sexuality | 13†‡§ | 40¶※ | 25 | 22 | < 0.01 |
| Teeth | 27† | 29 | 26 | 27 | NS |
| Opening mouth | 4†‡§ | 22¶※ | 16 | 16 | < 0.01 |
| Dry mouth | 20†‡§ | 62¶※ | 54# | 44 | < 0.01 |
| Sticky saliva | 16†‡§ | 61¶※ | 45# | 34 | < 0.01 |
| Coughing | 18† | 22 | 18 | 19 | NS |
| Feeling ill | 24† | 55¶※ | 27 | 22 | < 0.01 |
Analysis by multivariate ANOVA for repeated measures; IMRT Intensity modulated radiotherapy, VMAT Volumetric modulated arc therapy; ti1: before RT; ti2: RT 42.4 Gy; ti3: 3 months after RT; ti4: 12 months after RT; †: p < 0.05, ti1 vs. ti2; ‡: p < 0.05, ti1 vs. ti3; §: p < 0.05, ti1 vs. ti4; ¶: p < 0.05, ti2 vs. ti3; ※: p < 0.05, ti2 vs. ti4; #: p < 0.05, ti3 vs. ti4; NS: not statistically significant