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Does spirometry predict dyspnoea in advanced cancer?

L Heyse-Moore1, T Beynon, V Ross

  • 1Countess Mountbatten House, Southampton, UK.

Palliative Medicine
|June 20, 2000
PubMed
Summary
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In advanced cancer patients, subjective dyspnoea (breathlessness) assessment using visual analogue scales (VAS) did not correlate with objective spirometry lung function tests. Spirometry revealed frequent respiratory impairment, often obstructive, but couldn't predict patient-reported breathlessness.

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonology
  • Oncology
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • Dyspnoea is a common and distressing symptom in advanced cancer patients.
  • Objective measures of respiratory function are crucial for understanding and managing dyspnoea.
  • The relationship between subjective dyspnoea and objective lung function in this population requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare subjective dyspnoea assessments with objective spirometric indices in advanced cancer patients.
  • To determine the correlation between visual analogue scale (VAS) dyspnoea scores and spirometry results.
  • To characterize respiratory function impairment in this patient group.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated 155 advanced cancer patients, assessing dyspnoea using 24-hour visual analogue scales (VASMe 24).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Performed spirometry, including post-salbutamol measurements, on 108 patients to evaluate respiratory function.
  • Calculated predicted spirometry values using measured height and weight for 84 patients.

    • Main Results:

    • 71% of patients experienced dyspnoea, and 70% showed impaired respiratory function via spirometry.
    • Spirometry results (FEV1, FVC) were frequently lower than predicted, with a mean FEV1/FVC ratio of 0.65, indicating obstructive impairment.
    • Correlations between VAS dyspnoea scores and spirometric indices were low, suggesting spirometry cannot reliably measure subjective breathlessness.

    Conclusions:

    • Objective spirometry in advanced cancer patients frequently reveals impaired and obstructive respiratory function.
    • Subjective dyspnoea, as measured by VAS, is poorly correlated with objective spirometric measures.
    • Spirometry is not a reliable surrogate for assessing patient-reported dyspnoea in advanced cancer.