Quality of life changes after electrochemotherapy: a prospective single-center analysis

Abstract

Abstract The rising prevalence of cutaneous and subcutaneous tumors has driven interest in electrochemotherapy (ECT) as a potential treatment. However, patient-reported outcomes remain underexplored. This study aims to assess the short-term impact of ECT on the quality of life (QoL) of patients, addressing a gap in the current literature. A prospective study evaluated 62 patients treated with ECT between 2015 and 2022. QoL was measured using the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire, calculating EQ-5D-index and assessing health state (EQ-VAS) and pain (pain-VAS). Subgroup analysis was conducted based on tumor histology, previous radiotherapy, and tumor size. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 29.0.0. The median age was 70 years, with a median follow-up of 47 days. Pre-treatment, 38.7% of patients reported pain/discomfort, and 24% had anxiety/depression. Post-treatment, these decreased to 32.2% and 19%, respectively. While the EQ-VAS and EQ-5D-3L scores showed a non-significant increase, pain-VAS decreased. Significant improvements were seen in patients with previous radiotherapy (EQ-VAS, p  = 0.047; EQ-5D-index, p  = 0.012) and smaller tumors (EQ-VAS, p  = 0.035; pain-VAS, p  = 0.029). ECT demonstrates a significant short-term benefit in maintaining or improving QoL in patients with cutaneous malignancies.