BACKGROUND: Quality of life (QL) data are useful to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. Accumulating evidence suggests that QL data may predict survival. AIMS: In this study we investigated if baseline QL scores and changes in QL scores before and after intervention are prognostic for @entity1 with @entity5 . @entity1 : Between 1993 and 1995, 92 consecutive new @entity1 with @entity5 were studied; 89 were followed until @entity204 or the end of the study period (survival of seven @entity1 was censored in May 1999). METHODS: All @entity1 completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of @entity5 (EORTC) core questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the @entity1282 scale of the oesophageal module (EORTC QLQ-OES24) before treatment and at regular intervals throughout the study. Cox's proportional hazards models assessed the impact of baseline QL variables and changes in QL scores on survival. RESULTS: Cox's proportional hazards models, adjusting for associations between QL scores, age, and TNM stage, found that physical function at baseline was significantly associated with survival (p=0.002). An increase in physical function score of 10 points corresponded to a 12% reduction in the likelihood of @entity204 at any given time (95% confidence intervals 4--18%). Further exploratory multivariable analyses suggested that improvement in emotional function six months after treatment was significantly related to longer survival (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These data provide evidence to support a relationship between @entity1 rated scores of QL and survival. Further understanding of the associations between QL and clinical variables is needed.

The prognostic value of quality of life scores during treatment for XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient', 'PATIENTS'] @entity204 :: ('MESH:D003643', 'Disease') :: ['death'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['oesophageal cancer', 'Cancer'] @entity1282 :: ('MESH:D003680', 'Disease') :: ['dysphagia']
@entity5 :: (MESH:D009369,Disease) :: ['oesophageal cancer']
