Quality of life and quality-adjusted time without toxicity in palliatively treated head-and-neck cancer patients

• Main Authors: Vijay Patil, Amit Joshi, Vanita Noronha, Atanu Bhattacharjee, Sachin Dhumal, M V Chandrakanth, Ashay Karpe, Vikas Talreja, Arun Chandrasekharan, Siddharth Turkar, Nikhil Pande, Anant Ramaswamy, Kumar Prabhash
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2018-01-01
• Series: South Asian Journal of Cancer
• Subjects: FACT; head; neck cancers; palliative chemotherapy; quality-adjusted time without toxicity; quality of life
• Online Access: http://journal.sajc.org/article.asp?issn=2278-330X;year=2018;volume=7;issue=4;spage=249;epage=253;aulast=Patil

Background: Quality-adjusted time without toxicity (Q-TWiST) and quality of life (QOL) are indicators of benefit provided by different chemotherapy regimens. Methods: This was a prospective study, in which adult head-and-neck (H and N) cancer patients, treated with metronomic chemotherapy were enrolled. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General H and N (FACT-G and H and N) version 4 pro formas were self-administered before the start of chemotherapy and then at 2, 4, and 6 months. FACT QOL and Q-TWiST analysis were then performed. Results: There was an improvement in the social well-being (P = 0.370), emotional well-being (P = 0.000), functional well-being (P = 0.000), H and N cancer subscale (P = 0.001), FACT H and N trial outcome index (P = 0.000), FACT G-total score (P = 0.000), and FACT H and N total score (P = 0.000) with palliative chemotherapy. The QTWiST value for a utility score of 0.25 for toxicity and relapse state was 145.93 days. Conclusion: Metronomic chemotherapy is associated with improvement in QOL and has a low duration of time spent in toxicity state.