The impact of basal cell carcinoma on the quality-of-life in older patients

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most frequent malignant tumour worldwide and incidences are rising rapidly. BCC grow locally, but can invade surrounding tissues. Little is known concerning their impact on the health-related quality of life (HrQoL), and limited available data reports contradicting results. Measuring HrQoL in BCC patients should be done using disease-specific questionnaires such as the Basal and Squamous cell carcinoma Quality of Life (BaSQoL) questionnaire. The aim of this study was to assess the BCC-related HrQoL by examining all relevant patient, tumour and treatment characteristics to identify the main factors for the BCC-related impact. Specific attention for older BCC patients wass brought forward because of the often complex decisions in this subgroup. Patients ≥ 18 years with a history of BCC were asked to fill in the BaSQoL questionnaire, consisting of 5 subdomains. Multivariable analyses were done using a generalized additive model (GAM) because of the need for incorporation of non-linear functions. The study obtained approval of the Ethics Committee of the Ghent University Hospital (EC/2019/1352). Informed consent was obtained from all subjects. All experiments were performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Four hundred patients with a median age of 66 were enrolled. Mean BaSQoL subscores were 0.78 (SD 0.63) for ‘behaviour’, 1.01 (SD 0.73) for ‘diagnosis&treatment’, 0.90 (SD 0.73) for ‘worries’, 0.40 (SD 0.63) for ‘appearance’ and 1.20 (SD 0.75) for ‘other people’, illustrating the low to moderate impact of BCC on the HrQoL. A GAM with subsequent ANOVA testing was done for all relevant variables. In 4 out of 5 BaSQoL subdomains ‘age’ showed a significant correlation (‘behaviour’ p = 0.007; ‘diagnosis&treatment’ p = 0.026; ‘worries’ p = 0.003; ‘appearance’ p = 0.008). Lower BaSQoL scores were seen in older patients, meaning less BCC-impact on their HrQoL. There was a clear non-linear correlation between BaSQoL scores and age, illustrating that the impact of BCC on the HrQoL shows a rapid decrease starting around the age of 70. This study is the first to illustrate the relation between the BCC-related HrQoL and the age of patients with the use of a disease-specific HrQoL instrument. We found a lower BaSQoL score in older adults, with a specific age group of interest starting around the age of 70–75. This is an argument for a potential wait-and-see strategy for BCC in these patients.