Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) and Health-Related Quality of Life (HR-QoL) in Patients with Ovarian Cancer: What Is Different Compared to Healthy Women?

Melisa Guelhan Inci; Rolf Richter; Kathrin Heise; Ricarda Dukatz; Hannah Woopen; Jalid Sehouli

doi:10.3390/cancers13040631

Cancers (Feb 2021)

Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) and Health-Related Quality of Life (HR-QoL) in Patients with Ovarian Cancer: What Is Different Compared to Healthy Women?

Melisa Guelhan Inci,
Rolf Richter,
Kathrin Heise,
Ricarda Dukatz,
Hannah Woopen,
Jalid Sehouli

Affiliations

Melisa Guelhan Inci: Department of Gynecology with Center for Oncological Surgery, European Competence Center for Ovarian Cancer, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Rolf Richter: Department of Gynecology with Center for Oncological Surgery, European Competence Center for Ovarian Cancer, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Kathrin Heise: Department of Gynecology with Center for Oncological Surgery, European Competence Center for Ovarian Cancer, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Ricarda Dukatz: Department of Gynecology with Center for Oncological Surgery, European Competence Center for Ovarian Cancer, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Hannah Woopen: Department of Gynecology with Center for Oncological Surgery, European Competence Center for Ovarian Cancer, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Jalid Sehouli: Department of Gynecology with Center for Oncological Surgery, European Competence Center for Ovarian Cancer, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13040631
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 13, no. 4
p. 631

Abstract

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Introduction: The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in patients with ovarian cancer using a patient-reported outcome (PRO) based questionnaire and to compare it to the healthy female population in Germany and to other ovarian cancer patients worldwide. Additionally, we looked for differences in the HR-QoL with respect to the patients’ ages in our cohort. Methods: The HR-QoL for 155 enrolled patients with ovarian cancer was assessed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) prior to surgery and then compared with 501 healthy females in Germany, as well as to the previously published European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) reference data for 917 patients with ovarian cancer worldwide. Moreover, we grouped our cohort by ages 65 years and analyzed them for further differences. To identify the differences, T-tests were applied. Results: Overall, 155 patients were enrolled, and 126 patients had advanced-stage ovarian cancer (FIGO III–IV) (82.4%). Fifty-five (36%) patients were >65 years. Except for the physical functioning scale, all other domains of the functioning scales were significantly lower in our patients with ovarian cancer than in the healthy female population. The emotional (50 points versus 60 points, p = 0.02), cognitive (76 points versus 88 points, p = 0.005), and social functioning scales (68 points versus 81 points, p = 0.006) were lower in the younger subgroup. Further, the younger subgroup exhibited significantly more fatigue (40 points versus 29 points, p = 0.03) and financial difficulties (20 points versus 2 points, p < 0.001) than the older subgroup. Discussion: Interestingly, the patients with ovarian cancer had no significant differences in the physical functioning scale when compared with the healthy women. In contrast, the patients, especially in the younger group, needed special support for the emotional and social areas of their daily lives.

Published in Cancers

ISSN: 2072-6694 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers/

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