The functional and psychosocial status of patients with disseminated bladder cancer

This study describes self-reported functional and psychological status of p atients using The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cance r Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and relates this to the prognosis . Patients with incurable locally advanced or metastatic transitional cell cancer of the urothelial tract were prospectively included in a study of se lf-reported functional and psychosocial status. The study included 25 patie nts; 19 patients completed one or more Quality of Life Questionnaires. The median survival was 5.2 months. and there was a significant relation betwee n functional, emotional, and social status and survival. The self-assessmen t of functional status was a better prognostic factor for survival than per formance status evaluated by the clinician. The virtue of the global qualit y of Life scale did not relate to survival after recurrence. Functional, em otional, and quality of life scales declined during the progression of the disease. The study suggests that evaluation with self-reporting questionnai res may provide the physician with useful information, and it may aid in ma king treatment decisions in patients with metastatic bladder cancer. (C) 19 99 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.