OBJECTIVES

: This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the HRQoL scores of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients using the Vietnamese EQ-5D-5L value set.

METHODS

: In total, 197 CRC patients (108 men and 89 women; minimum age: 20 years; median age: 57.6 years) under treatment at a tertiary public hospital participated in this cross-sectional study. Tobit regression was applied to examine factors associated with patients’ HRQoL.

RESULTS

: Eighty-five patients had their primary tumor in their colon, and 112 had it in their rectum/anus. Patients’ mean EQ-5D-5L scores were 0.561 (range, -0.566 to 1). Advanced CRC stages ((stage II, β=-0.303, p=0.0001; III, β=-0.305, p=0.0001; IV, β=-0.456, p=0.0001) and surgical treatments (β=-0.113, p=0.019) were negatively associated with lower scores, whereas higher education ((High school, β=0.273, p=0.0001; college/vocational, β=0.134, p=0.008; university/higher, β=0.213, p=0.005) and older age (35-44 years, β=0.25, p=0.01; 45-54 years, β=0.327, p=0.001; 55-64 years, β=0.355, p=0.001; and 65+ years, β=0.204, p=0.029) were positively associated with higher scores on the EQ-5D-5L. No significant difference was found between the EQ-5D-5L score and other factors.

CONCLUSIONS

: CRC patients had poor HRQoL compared to the general population; high prevalence of anxiety/depression and pain/discomfort, especially in advanced stages; and old age and high educational levels were predictors of high HRQoL. This study provides information on CRC patients’ baseline scores regarding health utility by various socio-demographic and clinical characteristics to be used in future economic evaluations.