Assessment of Quality of Life in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy Treatment Using EORTC QLQ-C30 Questionnaire †
1
Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Azhar University Gaza (AUG), Gaza P.O. Box 405, Palestine
2
Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University Gaza (AUG), Gaza P.O. Box 405, Palestine
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the Second International Conference on Applied Medical Sciences 2023 (ICAMS-II) and the International Conference on Enhancing Clinical Nutrition in Palestine (ECNAD), Gaza, Palestine, 14–16 March 2023.
Proceedings 2023, 88(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023088006
Published: 31 July 2023
Abstract
:Cancer is a challenge for the majority of the population’s health-related quality of life (HRQoL), compromising their physical health and emotional well-being. This study aimed to assess the QoL, differentiate QoL among different groups, and explore its association with other factors in adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. All adult newly diagnosed cancer patients from the Oncology Department at the European Gaza Hospital (EGH) were eligible for participation in an ongoing prospective short cohort study. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core30 (EORTC QLQ-C30 was used to assess QoL in cancer patients after the completion of the chemotherapy regimen. A simple, self-administered assessment tool, Patient Neurotoxicity Questionnaire (PNQ) which is increasingly used in clinical praxis with significantly positive results has been used. The mean age of patients was 48.58 years. The global health status and functional scales, in most domains, were low, while the symptoms scales were moderate-to-high for most items, showing worse QoL. Fatigue and pain were the most disturbing symptoms. Global health and social functioning were better in over-weight and obese patients (p < 0.05). Malnourished patients and patients at risk of malnutrition showed a worse level of global health status in comparison to well-nourished patients (p = 0.049). Cancer stage significantly affects QoL (p < 0.05). The correlation of functional scales with global health status was found higher; the Spearman correlation r > 0.30 and showed a significant positive relationship (p < 0.05). Patients with a high PNQ score (more severe chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) symptoms) reported a worse global quality of life and worse physical, work, emotional, cognitive, and social functioning compared with those with a low PNQ score. Cancer patients had a worse QoL regarding overall global health status as well as functional and symptom scales. CIPN is associated with HRQoL in cancer patients. Future studies should focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying CIPN so targeted interventions can be developed to reduce the impact of CIPN on patients’ lives.
Author Contributions
The authors have contributed substantially to the work, reported as follows: conceptualization, S.E.E.-N. and I.A.N.; methodology, S.E.E.-N. and I.A.N.; software, S.E.E.-N. and I.A.N.; validation, S.E.E.-N., I.A.N. and K.M.A.-W.; formal analysis, S.E.E.-N. and I.A.N.; investigation, S.E.E.-N., I.A.N. and K.M.A.-W.; resources, S.E.E.-N. and I.A.N.; data curation, S.E.E.-N. and I.A.N.; writing—original draft preparation, S.E.E.-N.; writing—review and editing, S.E.E.-N., I.A.N. and K.M.A.-W.; visualization, S.E.E.-N. and I.A.N.; supervision, S.E.E.-N., I.A.N. and K.M.A.-W.; project administration, S.E.E.-N. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The research protocol and study procedures were approved by the Institutional Research and Ethics Board at Human Resources Development in Palestinian Ministry of Health. Besides, ethical approval was obtained from the Helsinki Committee in Gaza- Palestine with reference no PHRC/HC/183/16.
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
The data presented in this study are available upon request from the corresponding author.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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MDPI and ACS Style
EL-Najjar, S.E.; Naser, I.A.; AL-Wahidi, K.M. Assessment of Quality of Life in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy Treatment Using EORTC QLQ-C30 Questionnaire. Proceedings 2023, 88, 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023088006
AMA Style
EL-Najjar SE, Naser IA, AL-Wahidi KM. Assessment of Quality of Life in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy Treatment Using EORTC QLQ-C30 Questionnaire. Proceedings. 2023; 88(1):6. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023088006
Chicago/Turabian StyleEL-Najjar, Samah E., Ihab A. Naser, and Kanan M. AL-Wahidi. 2023. "Assessment of Quality of Life in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy Treatment Using EORTC QLQ-C30 Questionnaire" Proceedings 88, no. 1: 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023088006
