Medium cutoff (MCO) dialyzers help remove larger middle molecules associated with symptoms related to the accumulation of uremic retention solutes. We investigated the effect of an MCO dialyzer on the improvement of quality of life (QOL) in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients. Forty-nine HD patients with high-flux dialysis were randomly assigned to either an MCO (Theranova 400, Baxter) or a high-flux (FX CorDiax 80 or 60, Fresenius Medical Care) dialyzer and completed the study. QOL was assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form-36, and pruritus was assessed using a questionnaire and visual analog scale. The reduction ratios of middle molecules were also evaluated. Laboratory markers, including serum albumin, did not differ between the two groups after 12 weeks. Removals of kappa and lambda free light chains were greater for MCO dialyzer than high-flux dialyzer. The MCO group had higher scores than the high-flux group in the domains of physical functioning and physical role (75.2 ± 20.8 vs. 59.8 ± 30.1, P = 0.042; 61.5 ± 37.6 vs. 39.0 ± 39.6, P = 0.047, respectively), and the MCO group had lower mean scores for morning pruritus distribution and the frequency of scratching during sleep (1.29 ± 0.46 vs. 1.64 ± 0.64, P = 0.034; 0.25 ± 0.53 vs. 1.00 ± 1.47, P = 0.023, respectively). MCO dialyzers may improve patientreported outcomes, particularly the physical components of QOL and uremic pruritus, in patients with high-flux dialyzers. Patients on maintenance dialysis suffer variable symptoms such as fatigue, generalized weakness, and pruritus. These subjective conditions are assumed to be related to middle molecules that are not cleared by conventional hemodialysis (HD) 1. Middle molecules have molecular weights (MWs) ranging between 500 and 60,000 daltons, and their size is a barrier to removal with dialyzers 2,3. The accumulation of middle molecules is associated with specific complications such as amyloidosis, inflammatory reactions, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction 3-5. Consequently, middle molecules contribute to morbidity and mortality and poor quality of life (QOL) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients 6,7. High-flux dialysis, which has benefits for middle molecule clearance, has not displayed a clear mortality advantage compared with low-flux dialysis; the survival benefits of high-flux dialysis were only observed in patients with hypoalbuminemia and diabetes 8,9. Another dialytic modality, hemodiafiltration (HDF) with increased convection, has a higher efficiency for reducing middle-sized solutes than high-flux dialysis 10,11. Large randomized trials comparing HDF and high-flux dialysis have shown conflicting patient outcome results 12-15 ; however, recent results have consistently shown that HDF with a high convection volume improves patient survival 16-18. Medium cutoff (MCO) dialyzers are characterized by a more even distribution of larger pore sizes and a higher number of pores. MCO dialyzers have a higher permeability and...