Quality of life of GIST patients with and without current tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment: Cross-sectional results of a German multicentre observational study (PROSa)

Abstract

Objective: We investigated the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST).

Methods: In the multicentre PROSa study, the HRQoL of adult GIST patients was assessed between 2017 and 2019 using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer HRQoL questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). We performed group comparisons and multivariate linear regressions.

Results: Among 130 patients from 13 centres, the mean global HRQoL was 63.3 out of 100 points. Higher sores indicate better HRQoL. The highest restrictions were in emotional, social, role functioning, insomnia, fatigue, and pain. In multivariate linear regression, we found no significant differences between patients receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment and those without TKI treatment as well as between patients treated with curative or with palliative intent. Patients who received multiple lines of TKI treatment had the most restrictions, notably in physical (unstandardized regression coefficient [B] = -15.7), role (B = -25.7), social (B = -18.4), and cognitive functioning (B = -19.7); fatigue (B = 15.93); general health (B = -14.23); and EORTC-sum score (B = -13.82) compared to all other patients.

Conclusion: The highest HRQoL restrictions were in GIST patients receiving multiple lines of TKI therapy. Underlying causes need further investigation.

Keywords: clinically important restrictions and symptoms; gastrointestinal stromal tumours; health-related quality of life; observational study; rare disease; tyrosine kinase inhibitors.