Abstract

QUALITY OF LIFE IN CANCER PATIENTS ON CHEMOTHERAPY

Smita Khandelwal1, KL Bairy*, MS Vidyasagar, James Gonsalves and Bharti Chogtu

ABSTRACT

Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Several detrimental symptoms experienced by cancer patients due to disease and treatment adversely affect their quality of life. Hence, aim of the present study was to assess quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The study was carried out in Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, a tertiary care hospital in South India. QoL was measured using European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaires. Total 387 patients participated in the study. Mean age of patients was 50.85 ± 11.82 years. Global health status/QoL was found to be poor in 16.54% patients, average in 72.35% and high in 11.11% patients. Scores for various functional scales (physical, role, emotional, cognitive and social) varied from 72.91 to 80.66 which showed high level of functioning. Scores of the symptom scales/items showed fatigue, nausea, vomiting, dyspnoea, constipation, diarrhoea and financial difficulties as more frequent. There was significant difference in several symptom scales/items between males and females with females showing greater symptoms. No statistically significant association was found between different domains of QoL with age group and type of cancers. There was significant inter-correlationbetween domains of QoL. The study showed that QoL of cancer patient receiving chemotherapy have negative impact over the social life of patient. Majority of the patients of study population had an average QoL. Cancer chemotherapy showed an increased economic burden which affected QoL of the patient.

Keywords: Tertiary care hospital, Quality of life, Chemotherapy, Economic burden.