Health-related quality of life and symptom research in glioblastoma multiforme patients

Abstract

Health-related quality of life is increasingly becoming an important end point in cancer research. Until recently, relatively little was known about the health-related quality of life of glioblastoma multiforme patients. This is due to the relative scarcity of this disease compared with other cancers and its dismal prognosis. Now, there is progress in the treatment of this tumor: new (combination) treatments will be studied in randomized trials and health-related quality will be incorporated as a (secondary) end point next to progression-free survival. Glioblastoma multiforme patient health-related quality of life may also have prognostic significance and may, therefore, be used with the individual patient to tailor treatment. This review aims to chart the history of glioblastoma multiforme and treatment, reporting on the latest health-related quality of life tools and research findings.

Phase 1/2 Trial of 5-Fraction Stereotactic Radiosurgery With 5-mm Margins With Concurrent and Adjuvant Temozolomide in Newly Diagnosed Supratentorial Glioblastoma: Health-Related Quality of Life Results

“…However, they found that mean scores were significantly worse over time on the physical, cognitive, social, fatigue, and motor dysfunction scales. By contrast, Taphoorn and Bottomley (2) reported that in patients treated with radiation therapy and temozolomide on the trial by Stupp et al (1), outcomes in their 7 selected scales for primary analyses (fatigue, overall HRQOL, social function, emotional function, future uncertainty, insomnia, and communication deficit) showed either stability or mild-to-moderate improvement over time. Although they noted an increase in communication deficit over time as we did, this was not statistically significant in their study.…”

“…Healthrelated quality of life (HRQOL) is increasingly recognized as an important endpoint, particularly for incurable cancers with poor prognoses (2, 3). Treatment and diseaserelated side effects may affect the HRQOL of patients with GBM, leading to fatigue, personality changes, cognitive dysfunction, and coordination and communication deficits.…”

Overexpression of p53 delivered using recombinant NDV induces apoptosis in glioma cells by regulating the apoptotic signaling pathway

“…Animals were subjected to a 12 h light/dark cycle and had ad libitum access to food and water. A total of 100 µl U251 cells at a density of 5x10 5 were injected into the right flank of mice. Treatment for tumor-bearing mice, rNDV-EGFP or rNDV-p53 was initiated when tumor diameters reached 6-8 mm at 7 days following inoculation.…”

“…Patients with glioma are routinely treated with surgical resection combined with radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other comprehensive treatments (3,4). Severe symptoms of glioblastoma, including seizures and cerebral hemorrhage, make the effective treatment of this tumor a challenge (5). It has been demonstrated that that glioblastomas account for ~75% of all malignant brain tumors (6).…”

Evaluation of cognitive functions and quality of life

“…This is the case for most with a brain tumor, for whom palliation of symptoms and the maintenance or improvement of quality of life are important treatment goals (Taphoorn and Bottomley, 2005;Liu et al, 2009;Taphoorn et al, 2010a, b). This is the case for most with a brain tumor, for whom palliation of symptoms and the maintenance or improvement of quality of life are important treatment goals (Taphoorn and Bottomley, 2005;Liu et al, 2009;Taphoorn et al, 2010a, b).…”