Quality of life in colon cancer patients with skin side effects: preliminary results from a monocentric cross sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundEpidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors are widely prescribed anticancer drugs. Patients treated commonly develop dermatologic adverse drugs reactions, but rarely they are involved in systematic evaluation of their quality of life. This monocentric cross sectional study is carried out to assess quality of life in colon cancer patients experienced skin side effects due to anti epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors therapy.MethodsConsecutive patients with skin side effects to therapy treated at Fondazione Poliambulanza were enrolled in this study. Quality of life was evaluated with the Italian validated version of Skindex-29 questionnaire, exploring three dimensions: symptoms, emotional, and physical functioning. Skindex-29 was administered one time between the eighth and the twelfth week of the treatment.ResultsForty-five consecutive patients, mainly with metastatic colon cancer (29 female, 16 male), with an average age of 59.31 years (ranging from 34-78) were included in the study and analyzed. Patients showed a great impact of skin side effects on symptoms (mean 43), followed by emotional (mean 30), and functioning (mean 26) scales. In general women, the 55-65 age class, and patients with partial remission reported the worst quality of life.ConclusionsEpidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors' skin side effects have an important impact on quality of life in advanced colon cancer patients; symptoms scale is the most effect respect to emotional and functioning scales.

The impact of dermatological toxicities of anti‐cancer therapy on the dermatological quality of life of cancer patients

“…This score is lower when compared to many other reports measuring the DLQI of patients with other skin diseases but comparable to findings in cancer patients with dermatological toxicities. 15,24,25 In vitiligo patients, the mean DLQI score ranged from 4.82 to 10.67, 4,[26][27][28] and the mean DLQI scores were 9.16 and 10.09 in patients with psoriasis and scabies, respectively. [5][6][7][8] In a study of QoL of patients with non-melanoma skin cancers, the mean DLQI score was 2.1 prior to surgery and 1.9 after surgical resection of the tumour.…”

A systematic review of patient-reported outcome instruments of dermatologic adverse events associated with targeted cancer therapies

“…Thirteen articles (Table I) identifying six instruments (Table II) met the inclusion criteria. Four instruments were generic (Skindex-16© [2,9–11], Skindex-29© [12], Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI] [6,13], Deutsches Instrument zur Erfassung der Lebensqualität bei Hauterkrankungen [DIELH-24] [14]) and two were symptom-specific Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitors-18 [FACT-EGFRI-18] [15,16] and Hand-Foot Syndrome 14 [HFS-14][17–19]).…”

“…Scale scores are the means of responses to the items included in the scale, range from 29 to 116, and higher scores indicate worse HRQoL. An Italian version of the instrument was previously utilized to measure the impact of EGFRI skin toxicity on HRQoL in colon cancer patients [12]. More comprehensive than the later developed Skindex-16©, the Skindex-29© is more useful in understanding detailed effects of a condition on HRQoL [21].…”

Ethics for end-of-life treatments: Metastatic colorectal cancer is one example

“…Moreover, since CTs including CX cannot be blinded because of the very frequent and evident skin rash (which physicians warn patients about at the beginning of treatment), this may affect perception of the QoL because of the hope raised in patients when they are aware of being treated with a new strategy [21].…”