QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN CHRONIC ANEMIA OF CANCER DURING TREATMENT WITH RECOMBINANT-HUMAN-ERYTHROPOIETIN

Background. Improvements in quality of life after treatment with recom binant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) often have been reported in patie nts with endstage renal disease. In patients with chronic anemia of ca ncer, comparatively few systemic investigations have been performed. M ethods. Various aspects of quality of life were self-reported on linea r analogue scales of a slightly modified questionnaire that was first developed to assess toxicity of chemotherapy in patients with breast c ancer, Thirty-four patients with chronic anemia of cancer completed 10 items (feelings of well-being, mood, level of activity, pain, nausea, appetite, physical ability, social activities, anxiety, and helpfulne ss of therapy) before and after 8 and 12 weeks of rHuEPO therapy. Resu lts. Patients with response to the therapy significantly improved afte r 8 weeks of treatment in some items and after 12 weeks in all items. Patients with no response also had some improvement after 12 weeks of therapy. Hemoglobin levels correlated strongly with mood and appetite. World Health Organization (WHO) performance status improved significa ntly in patients with response but tended to diminish in those without . Median survival was 4.1 months in patients with no response and 12.0 months in those with response. After 12 weeks of therapy, the scores of the items ''physical ability'' and ''social activities'' proved to be significant prognostic factors, which surpassed the prognostic powe r of the WHO performance status. Conclusions. The results of rHuEPO th erapy in chronic anemia of cancer are far more than cosmetics of labor atory values. They enable the patients with response to lead a physica lly and socially more active life with less anxiety, brighter moods, a nd an increased general feeling of well-being.