Health-Related Quality of Life in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Summary
The concept of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) encompasses the multidimensional impact of the malignancy and its treatment on patients’ physical, psychological and social functioning. Often arising in the context of underlying chronic liver disease, HCC may present with symptoms of fatigue, pain, anorexia and cognitive difficulties alongside cirrhosis-related complications. Modern systemic therapies and locoregional interventions have improved overall survival but carry a spectrum of adverse events—such as dermatological, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular toxicities—that compound the burden on daily living. Patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments, notably the EORTC QLQ-C30 and its HCC-specific module QLQ-HCC18, enable standardised assessment of domains including physical functioning, emotional well-being and symptom severity. Longitudinal HRQoL data have also demonstrated prognostic significance, with baseline and early changes in scores correlating with survival and treatment adherence. Globally, disparities in economic resources, access to supportive care and cultural perceptions of illness influence the lived experience of HCC, underscoring the need for region-tailored approaches. Integrating HRQoL assessment into routine clinical practice and clinical trials is vital to align therapeutic goals with patient preferences, optimise supportive interventions and inform health policy.
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Health-Related Quality of Life in Hepatocellular Carcinoma publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in health-related quality of life in hepatocellular carcinoma across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL): A multidimensional measure of a patient’s physical, mental and social well-being as affected by disease and treatment.
Patient-reported outcome (PRO): Health status reported directly by the patient without interpretation by clinicians.
EORTC QLQ-C30: A 30-item questionnaire developed by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer to assess quality of life in oncology.
QLQ-HCC18: An 18-item supplementary module of the EORTC QLQ-C30 tailored to symptoms and concerns specific to hepatocellular carcinoma.
Discrete-choice experiment (DCE): A survey technique that quantifies preferences by asking respondents to choose between sets of hypothetical scenarios varying in attributes.
Overall survival (OS): The duration from diagnosis or initiation of treatment until death from any cause.
References
- Patient Preferences for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatments: A Discrete-Choice Experiment. Cancers (2023).
- Economic Burden and Quality of Life of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Greater China: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Public Health (2022).
- Prognostic values of EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-HCC18 index-scores in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma – clinical application of health-related quality-of-life data. BMC Cancer (2017).
- Understanding the patient experience in hepatocellular carcinoma: a qualitative patient interview study. Quality of Life Research (2021).
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