Prospective assessment of demographic characteristics associated with worse health related quality of life measures following definitive chemoradiation in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate baseline demographic characteristics which may be associated with worse health related quality of life (HRQOL) for patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving definitive chemoradiation (CRT). Materials: Patients with NSCLC were prospectively enrolled on an Institutional Review Board-approved clinical trial between 2009 and 2012. HRQOL assessments were collected pre-radiation therapy (RT), during RT, and within 3 months post-RT using Euroqol (EQ-5D), MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy General (FACT-G). HRQOL correlation was assessed with categorical variables by Wilcoxon rank sum tests and with continuous variables by Pearson correlation. P<0.05 was defined as statistically significant. Results: Forty-three consecutive patients received definitive concurrent CRT and completed assessments at one or more time-points. Patients most commonly had stage IIIB disease (72%), were married or with a partner (70%) and Caucasian (91%). Median patient age was 65 (range: 39–79) years and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was 0 (range: 0–5). Female gender, African-American ethnicity, age, chemotherapy type, baseline hemoglobin, and CCI were associated with worse post-treatment HRQOL measures. Conclusions: We have identified novel characteristics associated with worse quality of life following definitive CRT for lung cancer. Patients at risk for worse post-treatment quality of life may benefit from earlier follow-up and greater supportive measures following treatment.