• Birute Brasiūniene, Vytautas Brasiūnas, and Elona Juozaityte.
• Department of Oncology, Kaunas University of Medicine, Eiveniu 2, 50009 Kaunas, Lithuania. birutebras@yahoo.com
• Medicina (Kaunas). 2006 Jan 1; 42 (10): 817822817-22.

AbstractIn Lithuania, about 400 cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed each year, and more than 50% of patients are diagnosed with stage IV disease. Quality of life is an important issue in pancreatic cancer patients. A prospective randomized clinical study on the treatment of patients with resectable and unresectable pancreatic cancer was conducted at the Department of Oncology of Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital, and in this study, quality of life was analyzed. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of combined treatment methods on quality of life in patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS. During 2000-2005, two concomitant chemoradiation treatment methods (radiotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and radiotherapy with gemcitabine) were analyzed in the study. A total of 60 patients were enrolled: 41 patients diagnosed with resectable and 19 patients diagnosed with unresectable pancreatic cancer. Quality of life was assessed using European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) questionnaire. Three main quality of life scales (general health status, functional, and symptom scales) were assessed and compared between two treatment groups. RESULTS. The analysis of quality of live assessment showed a statistically significant decrease in quality of life after treatment in patients with resectable pancreatic cancer and treated with radiotherapy and gemcitabine. Decreased quality of life later after treatment was also observed in patients diagnosed with unresectable pancreatic cancer and treated with the same regimen. Treatment with radiotherapy and 5-fluorouracil changed only some aspects of quality of life and did not have a significant impact on quality of life.

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