Anemia affects the quality of life of Japanese cancer patients.

The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Anemia (FACT-An) was developed to measure the effect of anemia on quality of life (QOL) in cancer patients. We have previously validated the Japanese version of the FACT-An in Japanese cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or radiation therapy. That analysis was limited to evaluating the relationship between QOL scores and hemoglobin (Hb) levels. In this study, the data were further analyzed in order to identify factors that affect QOL. The mean Hb level of the patients was unchanged over three months. Patient age, Eastern Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) score, Hb level, and the type of treatment method received were each predictive factors of a patient's FACT-An score at baseline, while the patient's Hb level at three months and whether the patient had received a blood transfusion were both predictive factors of a patient's FACT-An score at three months. Anemia consistently negatively affected the QOL of cancer patients measured over a three-month period. These results confirm the clinical effectiveness of the FACT-An as a tool to assess anemia-related QOL in Japanese cancer patients.