Quality of life as a prognostic factor of overall survival in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: results from two French clinical trials.

Aim: The aims of our study were to assess quality of life (QoL) as a prognostic factor of overall survival (OS) and to determine whether QoL data improved three prognostic classifications among French patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: We pooled two randomized clinical trials conducted by the Fédération Francophone de Cancérologie Digestive in a palliative setting. In each trial QoL was assessed at baseline using the Spitzer QoL Index (0-10).