Objective: The aim of this study was to report lutetium-177 (177Lu)-DOTATATE radionuclide therapy from a patient perspective and their health-related quality of life.
Methods: This prospective cohort study, including adult patients treated with 177Lu-DOTATATE. At the beginning of the follow-up (T1), socioeconomic and clinical information was collected, and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaires C30-v3 and GI.NET21 were applied. Follow-up was performed at the third cycle (T2) and 3 months after the end of treatment (T3). Student t test for paired samples was used to compare quality of life at T1, T2, and T3.
Results: Thirty-eight patients with stage IV disease and mean age of 52.54 (standard deviation, 12.49) years were included. The most prevalent site was the gastrointestinal tract (39.7%). Global health improved between T2 and T3 (P = 0.022) and T1 and T3 (P = 0.038). Functional scales did not indicate significant changes between the periods. Regarding symptoms, significant improvements in nausea and vomiting and gastrointestinal symptoms were observed between T2 and T3 (P = 0.012 and 0.029) and T1 and T3 (P = 0.012 and 0.011), respectively.
Conclusions: 177Lu-DOTATATE therapy improved global health and reduced disease-related symptoms in NET patients, positively impacting health-related quality of life.
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