Table 3.
Meta‐analysis of health‐related quality of life by EORTC QLQ‐C30 and B23 domains broken down by stage of the disease and treatment
| Domains | Global | Stages I, II, and III | Stage IV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active treatment | Follow‐up | |||
| EORTC QLQ‐C30 | ||||
| No. of studies (no. of patients) | 34 (4,866) | 14 (1,534) | 12 (2,419) | 3 (295) |
| Global health status | 70.5 (68.2–72.7) | 67.1 (64.6–69.5) | 73.3 (69.5–77.2) | 64.9 (56.4–73.3) |
| Physical functioning | 74.5 (70.6–78.4) | 75.7 (71.9–79.6) | 81 (77.8–84.6) | 64.8 (60.4–69.2) |
| Role functioning | 67.2 (60.4–74.1) | 60.2 (52.8–67.6) | 81.8 (76.4–87.1) | 56.3 (38.7–73.8) |
| Emotional functioning | 63.2 (60.5–65.9) | 65.2 (62.5–68) | 65.5 (61.2–69.9) | 57.4 (52.7–62.1) |
| Cognitive functioning | 74.2 (69–79.4) | 81.5 (76.9–86.1) | 72.5 (67.6–77.4) | 73.8 (64.6–83) |
| Social functioning | 76.3 (69.7–82.9) | 76.1 (67.5–84.8) | 86.7 (85.1–88.3) | 82.1 (79.2–84.9) |
| Fatigue | 31.4 (25.1–37.6) | 27.3 (23.7–30.8) | 21 (18–24.1) | 34.7 (31.1–38.4) |
| Nausea and vomiting | 22.5 (17–28) | 29.1 (25.2–33) | 20.4 (16.7–24.1) | 29.4 (21 – 37.8) |
| Pain | 31.2 (27.8–34.6) | 14.7 (10.3–19.1) | 6.6 (4.6–8.5) | 22.5 (13.8–31.3) |
| Dyspnea | 21.6 (18–25.3) | 7.5 (6.1–8.9) | 11 (9.7–12.3) | 29.4 (21–37.9) |
| Insomnia | 34.5 (28.6–40.3) | 28.4 (25.5–31.3) | 28.7 (25.7–31.7) | 34.3 (30.7–38) |
| Appetite loss | 25.3 (21.3–29.3) | 14.2 (12.9–15.5) | 10.2 (8.2–12.3) | 30 (21.5–38.5) |
| Constipation | 27.6 (21.6–33.7) | 14.3 (11.7–16.9) | 17.6 (14.2–20.9) | 29.8 (19.9–39.6) |
| Diarrhea | 21.6 (15.9–23.6) | 6.8 (5.1–8.4) | 5.3 (4.4–6.2) | 18.7 (10.5–26.9) |
| Financial difficulties | 37.2 (29.3–45) | 32.6 (27–38.2) | 18.8 (16.4–21.1) | 36.8 (27.8–45.8) |
| EORTC QLQ‐B23 | ||||
| No. of studies (no. of patients) | 25 (4,342) | 11 (1,435) | 12 (2,032) | 3 (295) |
| Body image | 72.3 (59.6–85) | 70.3 (54.4–86.2) | 75.9 (62.7–89.3) | 82.4 (73.8–91.1) |
| Sexual enjoyment | 45.7 (38–53.4) | 41.3 (31.9–50.7) | 48.4 (35.8–61.1) | 43.7 (21.6–65.8) |
| Sexual functioning | 45.2 (31.9–58.5) | 18 (16.6–19.4) | 59.9 (45.0–74.8) | 49.2 (20.8–77.7) |
| Future perspective | 50.6 (40.5–60.8) | 50.2 (37.5–62.9) | 49.5 (35.1–63.9) | 18.4 (13.1–23.7) |
| Arm symptoms | 30.5 (26.4–34.6) | 30.3 (26.0–34.6) | 20.1 (17.6–22.5) | 22.3 (20.6–23.8) |
| Breast symptoms | 31.7 (24.7–38.7) | 33.5 (15.7–51.4) | 16.9 (14.5–19.4) | 16.8 (15.5–18.1) |
| Systemic therapy side effects | 33.9 (28.1–39.6) | 36.2 (29.1–43.4) | 21.5 (18.6–24.5) | 25.5 (23.5–27.6) |
| Upset by hair loss | 44.7 (34.5–54.9) | 49.1 (34.2–63.9) | 33.6 (22.4–64.8) | 29.3 (20.9–37.7) |
Data are shown as mean (95% confidence interval).
Abbreviation: EORTC QLQ, European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire.