Comparison of the quality of life between patients with non-small-cell lung cancer and healthy controls

We explored covariates of the quality of life (QOL) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and made a comparison with healthy controls. We assessed the QOL of 220 consecutive NSCLC patients at a university hospital. The QOL data were measured by the brief version of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life and by utility using the standard gamble method. We selected demographically matched healthy controls from the 2001 National Health Interview Survey for comparison. Multiple linear regression models were constructed to explore significant factors of QOL after controlling for covariates. Patients with more advanced stages of NSCLC had poorer scores than did the healthy controls in the physical and psychological domains. Patients with disease duration of longer than 1 year tended to report higher physical and environment QOL than did those with NSCLC diagnosed for less than 1 year. Insight into one's own illness was associated with a higher utility, better social support, and improved financial resources. QOL was significantly associated with staging and duration of NSCLC. Disease insight appears to be a positive factor for operable NSCLC patients of the Taiwanese culture, which implies that clinicians should respect patient autonomy in diagnosis disclosure.