{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:35:21Z","timestamp":1787027721716,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,1]],"date-time":"2021-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1617235200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The ELECHTRA (ELEctroChemoTherapy vulvaR cAncer) project was conceived to collect data on palliative electrochemotherapy (ECT) in vulvar cancer (VC) assessing patients\u2019 outcomes (response and survival) and impact on quality of life (QoL). After reporting outcome data in 2019, here, we present the results on QoL. A multicenter prospective observational study was conducted on patients with VC refractory or not amenable to standard therapies undergoing palliative ECT as per clinical practice. The following questionnaires were administered before and after ECT (two and four months later, early and late follow-up): visual analog pain scale (VAS), EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-L5) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy\u2014Vulva cancer (FACT\u2014V). Analyses were conducted on both the whole study population and by subgroups (clinical response after ECT and site, number and size of lesions). Questionnaires from 55 patients were evaluated. Compared to the baseline (6.1 \u00b1 2.1), the VAS was significantly reduced at early (4.3 \u00b1 2.5) and late follow-up (4.6 \u00b1 2.8) (p &lt; 0.0001). The FACT\u2014V score improved significantly at early (9.6 \u00b1 4.0) (p &lt; 0.0001) and late follow-up (8.9 \u00b1 4.1) (p &lt; 0.0054) as compared to the baseline (7.1 \u00b1 3.6). No EQ-5D-5L statistically significant changes were observed. Subgroup analyses showed worse QoL in patients with stable or progressive disease, posterior site and multiple or larger than 3 cm nodules. This is the first study reporting improved QoL in VC patients after palliative ECT. Based on these results, ECT in VC should be considered an effective option based on the favorable outcomes both in terms of response and QoL.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers13071622","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,31]],"date-time":"2021-03-31T21:37:03Z","timestamp":1617226623000},"page":"1622","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Quality of Life with Vulvar Carcinoma Treated with Palliative Electrochemotherapy: The ELECHTRA (ELEctroCHemoTherapy vulvaR cAncer) Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3140-4772","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna Myriam","family":"Perrone","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Oncologic Gynecology Unit, IRCCS\u2014Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Centro di Studio e Ricerca delle Neoplasie Ginecologiche (CSR), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Martina","family":"Ferioli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Radiation Oncology Center, IRCCS\u2014Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lisa","family":"Argnani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Hematology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Francesca","family":"De Terlizzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Scientific &amp; Medical Department IGEA S.p.A., 41012 Carpi, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cecilia","family":"Pirovano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, ASST Lecco Ospedale Manzoni, 23900 Lecco, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7998-5161","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Piero","family":"Covarelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giulia","family":"Dondi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Oncologic Gynecology Unit, IRCCS\u2014Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Centro di Studio e Ricerca delle Neoplasie Ginecologiche (CSR), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marco","family":"Tesei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Oncologic Gynecology Unit, IRCCS\u2014Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Centro di Studio e Ricerca delle Neoplasie Ginecologiche (CSR), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eugenia","family":"De Crescenzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Oncologic Gynecology Unit, IRCCS\u2014Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7774-402X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gloria","family":"Ravegnini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Galuppi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro di Studio e Ricerca delle Neoplasie Ginecologiche (CSR), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Radiation Oncology Center, IRCCS\u2014Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9793-3410","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessio G.","family":"Morganti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro di Studio e Ricerca delle Neoplasie Ginecologiche (CSR), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Radiation Oncology Center, IRCCS\u2014Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pierandrea","family":"De Iaco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Oncologic Gynecology Unit, IRCCS\u2014Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Centro di Studio e Ricerca delle Neoplasie Ginecologiche (CSR), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"147","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ygyno.2012.06.005","article-title":"Impact of the new FIGO 2009 staging classification for vulvar cancer on prognosis and stage distribution","volume":"127","author":"Tabbaa","year":"2012","journal-title":"Gynecol. 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