Health-Related Quality of Life and Utility Scores of Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Traditional Chinese Medicine in China

Liu Liu,1,2 Yan Wei,1,2 Yue Teng,1– 3 Juntao Yan,1,2 Fuming Li,1,2 Yingyao Chen1,2 1School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2NHC Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Outpatient, Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yan WeiNHC Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 18930749707, Email yanwei@fudan.edu.cnPurpose: To assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and utility scores of lung cancer patients treated with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in China.Methods: This cross-sectional study included lung cancer patients treated with TCM in seven tertiary hospitals in Shanghai, China. The HRQoL and utility scores of these patients were measured using the five-level EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L). The EQ-5D-5L utility scores were derived from the Chinese EQ-5D-5L Value Set. The relationships between HRQoL and the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of these patients were further explored by Tobit regression.Results: This study included a total of 347 patients. Their mean ± SD and median EQ-5D-5L utility scores were 0.851 ± 0.198 and 0.893, respectively. The highest proportion of participants reporting problems was observed in pain/discomfort dimension (57.9%) and anxiety/depression (45.5%). Lung cancer patients treated with TCM had poor HRQoL, influenced by cancer clinical stage.Conclusion: Lung cancer patients treated with TCM have poor HRQoL, with many patients reporting problems in the pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression dimensions. The information on health utility scores and HRQoL of lung cancer patients treated with TCM could be useful for future supportive care, economic evaluations and decision-making in China.Keywords: lung cancer, health-related quality of life, traditional Chinese medicine, EQ-5D-5L