Assessment of health-related quality of life in patients receiving stem cell therapy for end-stage liver disease: An Egyptian study

Abstract

Introduction. This prospective cohort study aimed to assess the influence of stem cell therapy (SCT) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) by using the SF-36 v2 and to elucidate the influence of objective clinical variables on subjective HRQOL. Methods. The study included 100 chronic liver disease patients (50 received SCT, and 50 received supportive medical treatment (SMT)). Both groups completed a modified SF-36 v2 form before therapy and at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month intervals. Fifty healthy Egyptian volunteers were enrolled in the study and completed the SF-36 v2 form once. Results: Both SCT and SMT groups showed significantly lower pretherapy SF 36 v2 scores compared with healthy volunteers. In SCT-treated patients, limited complications were encountered (SF-36 v2 scores showed significant improvement in all domains throughout the follow-up period) compared with the deterioration shown by SMT patients after therapy. A significant association was detected between SF-36 v2 scores and laboratory data in SCT patients during the first month after therapy. The grade of ascites improved during the follow-up in SCT compared with SMT patients. The mean survival time was 277.56 days (95% CI, 246.217 to 308.903) for SMT and 359.300 days (95% CI, 353.022 to 365.578) for SCT patients (log rank, 0.00). Stem cell-treated patients showed no malignancies. Conclusions: SCT positively affects health-related quality of life in cirrhosis patients. The survival rate was significantly improved after SCT. © 2012 Salama et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.