Quality of Life in Good Prognosis Patients With Metastatic Germ Cell Cancer: A Prospective Study of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Genitourinary Group/Medical Research Council Testicular Cancer Study Group (30941/TE20)

Purpose: To describe global quality of life (GLQL) in patients with metastatic testicular cancer (TC) treated with four different schedules of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) chemotherapy (four v three cycles given over 5 v 3 days). Patients and Methods: Quality-of-life data were prospectively collected in 666 patients with metastatic TC entered into the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Trial 30941/United Kingdom Medical Research Council Trial TE20, using the EORTC Quality-of-Life Questionnaire C30 and a TC module. Data were analyzed by a mixed effects model and by evaluation of clinically relevant changes at 2 years. Results: The pattern of GLQL changes was similar in the four groups. Two years after chemotherapy, 36% of patients displayed improved GLQL as compared with baseline, whereas GLQL had deteriorated in 13%. At 3 months, patients receiving the 3-day regimen experienced increased gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity more than those receiving the 5-day regimen...