The impact of bevacizumab on health-related quality of life in patients treated for recurrent glioblastoma: Results of the randomised controlled phase 2 BELOB trial

Abstract

Background The BELOB study, a randomised controlled phase 2 trial comparing lomustine, bevacizumab and combined lomustine and bevacizumab in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, showed that the 9-month overall survival rate was most promising in the combination arm. Here we report the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) results, a secondary trial end-point. Methods HRQoL was measured at baseline and every 6 weeks until progression using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and brain module (QLQ-BN20). HRQoL was assessed over time for five preselected scales (global health (GH), physical (PF) and social functioning (SF), motor dysfunction (MD) and communication deficit (CD)). Moreover, mean changes in HRQoL from baseline until progression were determined. Results 138/148 patients with at least a baseline HRQoL assessment were analysed. Over time, HRQoL remained relatively stable in all treatment arms for all five scales, at least during the first three treatment cycles. More than half (54-61%) of the patients showed stable (