BACKGROUND: The primary objective of this study was to assess whether there was an improvement in quality of life for patients with brain metastases as measured 1 and 2 months after a course of whole-brain radiotherapy. The secondary objective was to assess the level of agreement between patient and proxy quality of life scores. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Sixty patients with brain metastases and their proxy completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain (FACT-BR) questionnaire independently. Proxies were given instructions to answer from the patient's perspective. Quality-of-life assessments were conducted at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months after completion of whole-brain radiotherapy. Paired t tests with Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons were calculated to detect significant differences in global quality-of-life scores. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient measured agreement between patient and proxy quality-of-life ratings. RESULTS: No significant difference was detected in overall quality of life after whole-brain radiotherapy. At 2 months after whole-brain radiotherapy, there was a trend toward worsening general and brain specific quality-of-life scores. There was poor concordance between patients and their proxies for all quality-of-life domains at baseline. CONCLUSION: At 2 months after whole-brain radiotherapy, there was a trend toward worsening general and brain specific quality-of-life scores. Proxy rating of patients' quality of life showed poor concordance at baseline.
BACKGROUND: The primary objective of this study was to assess whether there was an improvement in quality of life for patients with brain metastases as measured 1 and 2 months after a course of whole-brain radiotherapy. The secondary objective was to assess the level of agreement between patient and proxy quality of life scores. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Sixty patients with brain metastases and their proxy completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain (FACT-BR) questionnaire independently. Proxies were given instructions to answer from the patient's perspective. Quality-of-life assessments were conducted at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months after completion of whole-brain radiotherapy. Paired t tests with Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons were calculated to detect significant differences in global quality-of-life scores. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient measured agreement between patient and proxy quality-of-life ratings. RESULTS: No significant difference was detected in overall quality of life after whole-brain radiotherapy. At 2 months after whole-brain radiotherapy, there was a trend toward worsening general and brain specific quality-of-life scores. There was poor concordance between patients and their proxies for all quality-of-life domains at baseline. CONCLUSION: At 2 months after whole-brain radiotherapy, there was a trend toward worsening general and brain specific quality-of-life scores. Proxy rating of patients' quality of life showed poor concordance at baseline.
Authors: Meera Agar; Eng-Siew Koh; Emma Gibbs; Elizabeth H Barnes; Elizabeth Hovey; Ann Livingstone; Kate Sawkins; Richard Chye; Melanie R Lovell; Katherine Clark; Janette Vardy; Madeleine King Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2015-08-21 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: D Steinmann; D Vordermark; H Geinitz; R Aschoff; A Bayerl; J Gerstein; M Hipp; B van Oorschot; H J Wypior; C Schäfer Journal: Strahlenther Onkol Date: 2012-11-18 Impact factor: 3.621
Authors: Nemica Thavarajah; Gillian Bedard; Liying Zhang; David Cella; Jennifer L Beaumont; May Tsao; Elizabeth Barnes; Cyril Danjoux; Arjun Sahgal; Hany Soliman; Edward Chow Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2013-11-28 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: Amanda Hird; Jennifer Wong; Liying Zhang; May Tsao; Elizabeth Barnes; Cyril Danjoux; Edward Chow Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2009-05-31 Impact factor: 3.603