A Prospective Study on Health-Related Quality of Life and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Adult Brain Tumor Patients Treated with Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Patients with complex brain tumors are regularly treated with proton therapy (PT) to obtain an optimal curative treatment with limited toxicity. Value-based oncological medicine is increasingly important, particularly when long-term survival is to be expected. The aim of our prospective study was to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and patient reported outcomes (PROs) in patients treated with PT for brain tumors. PT only temporarily influences PROs and QoL directly following PT and lower QoL and PROs were mostly reported by patients who were already in a worse condition with symptoms related to the tumor and previous treatment, before the start of PT. This study assists in improving patient support in patients with brain tumors receiving PT. ABSTRACT: Proton therapy (PT) is delivered to complex brain tumors to obtain an optimal curative treatment with limited toxicity. Value-based oncological medicine is increasingly important, particularly when long-term survival is to be expected. This study aims to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and patient reported outcomes (PROs) in patients treated with PT for brain tumors. Adult patients with brain tumors treated with PT filled out the EORTC-QLQ-C30 and BN20 questionnaires up to three years following PT. Toxicity was scored using the CTCAE v4.03. QoL and PRO were correlated to clinical factors. Three-year overall survival, distant brain control and local control rates were 98%, 97% and 84%, respectively. No ≥G3 acute toxicity was observed. Late PT-related ≥G3 severe toxicity occurred in seven patients (5.7%). Lower global QoL scores after PT were significantly correlated to low Karnofsky performance status (KPS) before PT (p = 0.001), surgical complications before PT (p = 0.04) and progressive disease (p = 0.017). A low QLQ-30 summary score at one year follow-up was correlated to sex (p = 0.015), low KPS before PT (p < 0.001), and central nervous system symptoms before PT (p = 0.018). Reported QLQ-BN20 neurological symptoms were correlated to lower KPS at baseline (p < 0.001) and surgical complications before PT (p = 0.03). PT-related toxicity only influenced reported symptoms directly following PT, but not QoL. Although global QoL temporarily decreased after treatment, it improved again from one year onwards. Global QoL and reported symptoms over time were not correlated with the proton therapy and were more related to preexisting symptoms and progressive disease. This study assists in improving patient support in patients with brain tumors receiving PT.