Table 5.
Selected studies reporting factors associated with patient-reported quality of life.
| Factor/Study | Endemic | Non-endemic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fang et al. (17) | Fang et al. (18) | Hong et al. (36) | Wu et al. (38) | Tsai et al. (19) | McDowell et al. (40) | |
| QoL measure | EORTC QLQ-C30 global health score | EORTC QLQ-C30 global health score | EORTC QLQ-C30 global health score | General health measure as a surrogate for global QoL | EORTC QLQ-C30 global health score | FACT-HN total score |
| Stats analysis | Univariable analysis: categorical chi-squared; multivariable logistic regression | GLM-MANOVA one factor and multifactor models | Multiple linear regression | UVA (ANOVA) and MVA (multiple stepwise regression) | GLM-MANOVA one factor and multifactor models | univariable linear regression |
| SOCIAL FACTORS | ||||||
| Sex | No | Yes (1F only) | No | Yes (UVA only) | Yes (1F only) | No |
| Age | No | Yes (older better; 1F only) | Yes (younger worse) | Yes (older better on MVA and UVA) | No | No |
| Marital status | No | No | NR | No | No | Yes (divorce/separated worse than married/common law) |
| Living status | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | Yes (living with others better than isolated) |
| Education level | Yes (higher education >12y better on UVA, not MVA (p=0.08) | Yes (higher educated better, both 1F and MF) | Yes (higher educated better) | No | Yes (both 1F and MF) | No |
| Employment status | Yes (employed better on UVA, not MVA) | NR | NR | No | NR | Yes (homemaker/caregiver and disability leave worse than full time employment) |
| Income | Yes (higher family income better on UVA and MVA) | Yes (higher family income better, both 1F and MF) | NR | Yes (higher income better QoL on MVA) | NR | NR |
| PATIENT FACTORS | ||||||
| Medical comorbidities | Yes (presence comorbidity worse on both UVA and MVA) | Yes (1F only) | NR | Yes (lower better QoL; UVA and MVA) | NR | NR |
| Depression | NR | NR | Yes (higher worse QoL) | NR | NR | Yes (higher worse QoL) |
| Anxiety | NR | NR | Yes (higher worse QoL) | NR | NR | Yes (higher worse QoL) |
| Recurrence Worry | NR | NR | No | NR | NR | NR |
| TUMOR FACTORS | ||||||
| T-category | NR | NR | NR | Yes (lower T better QoL on UVA and MVA) | NR | NR |
| N-category | NR | NR | NR | No | NR | NR |
| Stage | No | No | Yes (higher stage worse QoL) | No | No | No (stage IVB worse than stage I) |
| TREATMENT FACTORS | ||||||
| Time since treatment | NR | No | No | No | Yes (both 1F and MF) | Yes (better with longer FU) |
| Chemotherapy | No | No | NR | No | Borderline on 1F (p = 0.058) | Yes (none better than any) |
| Radiation tech | Yes (3D/IMRT better than 2D on both UVA and MVA) | Yes (both 1F and MF; IMRT better) | NR | No | Yes (both 1F and MF) | N/A (all IMRT) |
| TOXICITY FACTORS | ||||||
| Clinician-reported | NR | NR | * xerostomia and fatigue | NR | Neuropathy, hearing, xerostomia (both 1F and MF); Dysphagia and neck fibrosis (1F) | Hearing, ear discharge, dysphagia, trismus, dysarthria, aspiration, cranial neuropathy |
| Patient-reported toxicity | NR | NR | NR | NR | All items MDASI-HN correlated with QoL | |
QoL, quality of life; EORTC QLQ-C30, European organization for research and treatment of cancer core quality of life questionnaire; FACT-HN, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy, Head & Neck cancer; GLM-MANOVA, general linear model multivariate analysis of variance; UVA, univariable analysis; ANOVA, analysis of variance; MVA, multivariable analysis; 1F, one factor analysis; NR, not recorded; MF, multifactor analysis; IMRT, intensity-modulated radiotherapy; MDASI-HN, MD Anderson symptom inventory, head and neck;
*
toxicity was graded as yes/no.