Effects of Definitive Chemoradiotherapy on Respiratory Function Tests and Quality of Life Scores During Treatment of Lung Cancer

Background: Chemoradiotherapy is an important treatment modality for lung cancers. The aim of this studywas to investigate alterations in, as well as the interrelationship between, lung function and quality of life ofpatients receiving chemoradiotherapy due to locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and smallcell lung cancer (SCLC) limited to the thorax. Materials and
Methods: The study included patients receivingdefinitive chemoradiotherapy for lung carcinoma. The respiratory function of the patients was assessed bymeasuring forced expiratory volume in 1 s per unit (FEV1) and forced expiratory volume in 1s per unit of vitalcapacity (FEV1/VC) before, in the middle of and after treatment. During the study, EORTC QLQ C30 andLC13 questionnaires developed by the Committee of the European Organization for Research and Treatmentof Cancer (EORTC) were employed to evaluate the quality of life on the same day as respiratory function tests(RFT). Findings: The study included 23 patients in total: 19 (82.6%) diagnosed with NSCLC and 4 (17.4%)with SCLC. The average percentage FEV1 was 55.6±21.8% in the pre-treatment period, 56.2±19.2% in themiddle of treatment and 60.4±22% at the end of treatment. The improvement in functional scores, symptomscores and general health scores during treatment was not statistically significant (P= 0.568, P= 0.734, P= 0.680,P=0.757 respectively).
Conclusions: Although this study showed an improvement in respiratory function andquality of life of patients during treatment with thoracic chemoradiotherapy, no statistically significant resultswere obtained. While evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for lung carcinoma, the effects of treatment onrespiratory function and quality of life should be considered.