Feasibility Study Of Quality Of Life In Patients With Gist Treated With Imatinib Mesylate Evaluated By Two Kinds Of Scals

Background: Imatinib mesylate has significant effect for treating gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GIST). But There's very little research of the quality of life(QOL) of patients with GIST. Whether functional living index cancer(FLIC) scale and Kanorfsky Performance Score(KPS) fit for evaluating QOL of patients with GIST is not clearly. Objective: To research the feasibility of which QOL change in patients with GIST treated with imatinib mesylate evaluated by FLIC scale and KPS . Methods: A study was done on those patients with GIST who accepted therapy with imatinib mesylate in the department of oncology, the first afflilated hospital and the second afflilated hospital of Anhui Medical University from January, 2002 to December,2009. When determined to accept therapy with imatinib mesylate,patients must completed FLIC scale and accepted the evaluation with KPS by investigator on the first day. and every one month Post-treatment . The adverse events evaluated with CTCAE3.0 by investigator every one month Post-treatment while the efficacy evaluated with RECIST each 3-month interval Post-treatment until death or end of follow-up. We compared FLIC scores and KPS scores according to age, sex, residence, latent time, with or without symptoms, adjuvant therapy or not to explore whether these characteristics have influence on QOL of patients .we also compared FLIC scores and KPS scores according to different levels and different types of adverse events and different curative effect to realize what effect on QOL of patients . do adverse events and curative effect have.Results:A total of 82 cases were enrolled in the research. Age, sex,primary site, Incubation Period were not significantly associated with the scores of FLIC scale and KPS scale(P>0.05). KPS scores and FLIC scores in patients with symptoms and adjuvant therapy were lower than patients without symptoms and palliative treatment respectively(P<0.01). Differences of patients' KPS scores were not significant between rural and urban areas(P>0.05),but Differences of FLIC scores were significant(P<0.05). Grade I or II toxicity of edema or rash had no obvious influence on KPS scores and FLIC scores(P>0.05), FLIC scores in patients with grade I or II toxicity of diarrhea ,muscle spasm pain ,fatigue droped significantly(P<0.05), but KPS scores had no significant drop(P>0.05); FLIC scores and KPS scores in patients with grade III or IV toxicity droped dramatically(P<0.05). KPS scores and FLIC scores ascended dramatically in patients with Symptoms post treatment and maintained high levels in long term.The degree of which KPS scores and FLIC scores in patients after treatment rised was found no significant difference between the effective patients and stable ones(P>0.05). FLIC scores and KPS scores in patients were not appear to be in significant decline when the disease had progressed ,which maintained high level for 11.8 months; FLIC scores and KPS scores drop sharply 1 month before death on average.Conclusion: Age, sex,primary site, Incubation Period were not significantly associated with the QOL of patients with GIST. Grade III or IV toxicity had impact on the QOL of patients with GIST. QOL of patients with Symptoms had been statistically improved post treatment,which were not appear to be in significant decline when the disease had progressed.FLIC scale and KPS can evaluate quality of life(QOL) change in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GIST) treated with imatinib mesylate; FLIC scale is more sensitive than KPS.