Case-Control Analysis of the Impact of Anemia on Quality of Life in Patients with Cancer: A Qca Study Analysis

• Main Authors: Maria Barca-Hernando, Andres J. Muñoz-Martin, Eduardo Rios-Herranz, Ignacio Garcia-Escobar, Carmen Beato, Carme Font, Estefania Oncala-Sibajas, Alfonso Revuelta-Rodriguez, Maria Carmen Areses, Victor Rivas-Jimenez, Aitor Ballaz-Quincoces, Maria Angeles Moreno-Santos, Juan-Bosco Lopez-Saez, Iria Gallego-Gallego, Teresa Elias-Hernandez, Maria Isabel Asensio-Cruz, Leyre Chasco-Eguilaz, Gonzalo Garcia-Gonzalez, Purificacion Estevez-Garcia, Lucia Marin-Barrera, Remedios Otero-Candelera, Sergio Lopez-Ruz, Jorge Lima-Alvarez, Jose Maria Sanchez-Diaz, Macarena Real-Dominguez, Maria Carmen Borrego-Delgado, Samira Marin-Romero, Luis Jara-Palomares
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Cancers
• Subjects: anaemia; neoplasm; quality of life
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/13/11/2517

Anemia is a common condition in cancer patients and is associated with a wide variety of symptoms that impair quality of life (QoL). However, exactly how anemia affects QoL in cancer patients is unclear because of the inconsistencies in its definition in previous reports. We aimed to examine the clinical impact of anemia on the QoL of cancer patients using specific questionnaires. We performed a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter, prospective, case-control study. We included patients with cancer with (cases) or without (controls) anemia. Participants completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaire version 3.0 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Euro QoL 5-dimension 3-level (EQ–5D–3L) questionnaire. Statistically significant and clinically relevant differences in the global health status were examined. From 2015 to 2018, 365 patients were included (90 cases and 275 controls). We found minimally important differences in global health status according to the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire (case vs. controls: 45.6 vs. 58%, respectively; mean difference: −12.4, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Regarding symptoms, cancer patients with anemia had more pronounced symptoms in six out of nine scales in comparison with those without anemia. In conclusion, cancer patients with anemia had a worse QoL both clinically and statistically.