Authors : Mahindokht Saadatmand, Narges Eskandari, Fatemeh Sheikhan, Mohammad Khalesi and Fattaneh Karimi
Abstract: Many patients with cancer have multiple symptoms affecting their sense of well-being and this has become an increasingly prominent topic in oncology research. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Quality of Life (QOL) in Iranian cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. A total of 118 cancer patients who underwent chemotherapy and had inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Researchers conducted a cross-sectional analytical study including consecutive Iranian patients at Qom Chemotherapy Center from January, 2009 to June, 2010. The participants completed an Iranian version of the brief form of the WHOQOL assessment instrument and a demographic checklist. Data were analyzed using SPSS-PC software, descriptive analysis, independent sample t-tests, one way ANOVA models, Tukey’s post hoc test and linear regression. The mean age of patients was 52.11±1.57 years. Majority of them were married (83.9%). Most patients were housewives (32.2%) and 27.1% were unemployed. A total of 36.4% were uneducated, 52.5% had an educational level of less than a diploma and only 8.4% received academic education. The mean time from cancer diagnosis was 16.76±2.32 months. As for the site of cancer, the largest proportion had breast cancer (34.7%) followed by bowel (16.9%) and lung (10.2%) cancer. Most patients had a relatively average level of overall QOL. QOL scores were low in older and less educated patients but these scores were not affected by the marital status or types of cancer. No significant regression was observed between duration of disease and treatment and mean QOL scores. The results emphasize that older and less educated patients have lower QOL scores. These patients may require a greater level of support and education to improve their QOL. Overall, patients in the present study had a relatively average level of global QOL.
Mahindokht Saadatmand, Narges Eskandari, Fatemeh Sheikhan, Mohammad Khalesi and Fattaneh Karimi, 2011. Quality of Life of Iranian Cancer Patients. Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 6: 639-644.