Health-Related Quality of Life and Utility Values in Chinese Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Multicenter Study.

OBJECTIVES

Despite the growing interest in cost-effectiveness analysis in China, evidence to support robust economic evaluation remains limited. This study aimed to assess health-related quality of life in Chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancer and generate utility values for economic evaluations.

METHODS

We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional survey in 20 hospitals across China from October 2022 to March 2024. Demographic characteristics, clinical details, and health-related quality of life data measured using EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L), Short Form 6-Dimension (SF-6D), and Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30) were collected. Mean and standard deviation (SD) of utility index scores were reported. Determinants of utility were examined using ordinary least squares regression with bias-corrected bootstrapped cluster-robust standard errors.

RESULTS

A total of 947 patients were included (mean age 61.6 years; 36.3% female). Most had stage III or IV cancer (83.1%), with 58.3% and 21.7% receiving first-line and second-line treatment, respectively. The mean EQ-5D-5L utility index score was 0.801 (SD: 0.273) overall, and 0.889 (SD: 0.141), 0.814 (SD: 0.255), and 0.776 (SD: 0.298) for stage I/II, III, and IV, respectively. Across lines of treatment, the EQ-5D-5L utility index scores ranged from 0.809 (SD: 0.271, first line) to 0.742 (SD: 0.291, fourth line and above). The mean SF-6D and Quality of Life Utility-Core 10 Dimensions (QLU-C10D) utility index scores (0.644, SD: 0.254; 0.754, SD: 0.205) were lower than that of the EQ-5D-5L. Pain/discomfort was the most impaired EQ-5D dimension, whereas physical functioning was the worst SF-6D and QLU-C10D dimension.

CONCLUSION

This study provides EQ-5D-5L, SF-6D, and QLU-C10D utility values for Chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancer, noting instrument-dependent differences and cross-sectional limitation, to inform cost-effectiveness analyses.