Abstract
We conducted a prospective QOL study from the patient's viewpoint using a new questionnaire developed by the QOL Committee of the Japan Association of Childhood Leukemia Study Group, and compared the patients' and their parents' ratings regarding QOL. We collected 191 questionnaires in March 2002. 1) The collection rate of patient-rating questionnaires was 37.0% at induction, 23.9% at post-intensification, 18.5% at maintenance, and 5.4% at end of treatment, respectively. 2) Patient-rating family well-being QOL scores were lower for the female patients as compared to male patients (p=0.0009). 3) Patient-rating total QOL scores did not depend on the treatment protocol, but improved as treatment progressed. 4) There were some differences between patient-rating QOL and parent-rating QOL with the exception of total score and physical well-being domain. This suggests that we should evaluate the QOL of the children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia from many viewpoints.
