Description of Baseline Quality of Life in Patients Diagnosed with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Introduction: Renal cancer (RC) is not typically symptomatic until it reaches a considerable size and an advanced stage [World J Oncol. 2020;11(3):79–87]. The 5-year survival rate for metastatic renal cancer (mRC) is estimated at 13% [CA Cancer J Clin. 2021;71(1):7–33]. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL), obtained as patient-reported outcomes (PRO), reflects the patient’s subjective perception of the disease and treatment impact on their normal activity and well-being [Lancet Oncol. 2016;17(11):e510–4]. Measuring HRQoL can facilitate doctor-patient communication, aid in decision-making, and improve clinical outcomes [Eur Urol Focus. 2020;6(1):26–30]. We will analyse the baseline quality of life of patients diagnosed with mRC, who are candidates for systemic treatment, in our setting, as measured by responses to the NCCN-FKSI 19 questionnaire. Methods: We analysed 78 consecutive patients diagnosed and treated for mRC from September 2012 to September 2019. We described the baseline questionnaire responses of our patients before initiating systemic treatment and analysed their responses. Results: Over 60% of the patients reported some degree of lack of energy or fatigue, 60.8% were very or extremely worried about their disease worsening, and 47.9% had some issues related to rest. Additionally, 26.8% of the patients were not at all satisfied with their quality of life at that time. Conclusions: Patients diagnosed with mRC exhibit deterioration in their quality of life, mostly showing asthenia and concern about their disease. The quality of life of “real-life patients” seems to be worse than that of those included in clinical trials.