Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Quality of life in patients with metastatic breast cancer receiving either docetaxel or sequential methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil. A multicentre randomised phase III trial by the Scandinavian breast group

Hakamies-Blomqvist, L ; Luoma, M ; Sjöström, J ; Pluzanska, A ; Sjödin, M ; Mouridsen, H ; Ostenstad, B ; Mjaaland, I ; Ottosson-Lönn, S and Bergh, J , et al. (2000) In European Journal of Cancer 36(11). p.7-1411
Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two alternative chemotherapy regimes on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with advanced breast cancer. In a multicentre trial, 283 patients were randomised to receive either docetaxel (T) or sequential methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (MF). QoL was assessed at baseline and before each treatment using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30). Initial compliance in the QoL study was 96% and the overall compliance 82%. QoL data were available for 245 patients (T 130 and 115 MF). Both treatment groups showed some improvement in emotional functioning during treatment, with a significant difference favouring the MF... (More)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two alternative chemotherapy regimes on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with advanced breast cancer. In a multicentre trial, 283 patients were randomised to receive either docetaxel (T) or sequential methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (MF). QoL was assessed at baseline and before each treatment using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30). Initial compliance in the QoL study was 96% and the overall compliance 82%. QoL data were available for 245 patients (T 130 and 115 MF). Both treatment groups showed some improvement in emotional functioning during treatment, with a significant difference favouring the MF group at treatment cycles 5 and 6. In the T group, the scores on the other functional scales remained stable throughout the first six cycles. There were significant differences favouring the MF group on the social functioning scale at treatment cycle 6 and on the Global QoL scale at treatment cycles 5 and 6. On most symptom and single-item scales there were no statistically significant differences between the groups. However, at baseline, the T patients reported more appetite loss, at treatment cycles 2-4, the MF patients reported more nausea/vomiting, and at treatment cycle 6, the T patients reported more symptoms of fatigue, dyspnoea and insomnia. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in the mean change scores of the functional and symptom scales. Interindividual variance was, however, larger in the T group. Differences in QoL between the two treatment groups were minor. Hence, given the expectancy of comparable QoL outcomes, the choice of treatment should be made on the basis of the expected clinical effect.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
author collaboration
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Algorithms, Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use, Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy, Docetaxel, Female, Fluorouracil/administration & dosage, Humans, Methotrexate/administration & dosage, Neoplasm Metastasis, Paclitaxel/analogs & derivatives, Quality of Life, Taxoids
in
European Journal of Cancer
volume
36
issue
11
pages
7 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:17444443046
  • pmid:10899655
ISSN
0959-8049
DOI
10.1016/s0959-8049(00)00126-x
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
804c09d5-426f-4666-be90-28441a016107
date added to LUP
2022-03-02 13:05:14
date last changed
2024-04-18 06:35:47
@article{804c09d5-426f-4666-be90-28441a016107,
  abstract     = {{<p>The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two alternative chemotherapy regimes on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with advanced breast cancer. In a multicentre trial, 283 patients were randomised to receive either docetaxel (T) or sequential methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (MF). QoL was assessed at baseline and before each treatment using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30). Initial compliance in the QoL study was 96% and the overall compliance 82%. QoL data were available for 245 patients (T 130 and 115 MF). Both treatment groups showed some improvement in emotional functioning during treatment, with a significant difference favouring the MF group at treatment cycles 5 and 6. In the T group, the scores on the other functional scales remained stable throughout the first six cycles. There were significant differences favouring the MF group on the social functioning scale at treatment cycle 6 and on the Global QoL scale at treatment cycles 5 and 6. On most symptom and single-item scales there were no statistically significant differences between the groups. However, at baseline, the T patients reported more appetite loss, at treatment cycles 2-4, the MF patients reported more nausea/vomiting, and at treatment cycle 6, the T patients reported more symptoms of fatigue, dyspnoea and insomnia. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in the mean change scores of the functional and symptom scales. Interindividual variance was, however, larger in the T group. Differences in QoL between the two treatment groups were minor. Hence, given the expectancy of comparable QoL outcomes, the choice of treatment should be made on the basis of the expected clinical effect.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hakamies-Blomqvist, L and Luoma, M and Sjöström, J and Pluzanska, A and Sjödin, M and Mouridsen, H and Ostenstad, B and Mjaaland, I and Ottosson-Lönn, S and Bergh, J and Malmström, P and Blomqvist, C}},
  issn         = {{0959-8049}},
  keywords     = {{Algorithms; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use; Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy; Docetaxel; Female; Fluorouracil/administration & dosage; Humans; Methotrexate/administration & dosage; Neoplasm Metastasis; Paclitaxel/analogs & derivatives; Quality of Life; Taxoids}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{11}},
  pages        = {{7--1411}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Cancer}},
  title        = {{Quality of life in patients with metastatic breast cancer receiving either docetaxel or sequential methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil. A multicentre randomised phase III trial by the Scandinavian breast group}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0959-8049(00)00126-x}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/s0959-8049(00)00126-x}},
  volume       = {{36}},
  year         = {{2000}},
}