Deterioration in quality of life (QOL) in patients with malignant ascites : Results from a phase II/III study comparing paracentesis plus catumaxomab with paracentesis alone

Background: Malignant ascites (MA) is associated with poor prognosis and limited palliative therapeutic options. Therefore, quality of life (QoL) assessment is of particular importance to demonstrate new treatment value. Following the demonstration of the superiority of catumaxomab and paracentesis over paracentesis on puncture-free survival, this analysis aimed at comparing deterioration in QoL between both the treatment options. Patients and methods: In a randomised, multicentre, phase II/III study of patients with MA due to epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) positive cancer, the QoL was evaluated using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life …