Assessment of the quality of life for patients suffering from cancer in the oncology center

Background: Cancer is a leading health problem in terms of morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Today, due to advances in medical research, advances in early diagnosis and treatment, quality of life has gained importance with the prolongation of the life span of cancer patients and the increase in the recovery rate. Cancer is a chronic disease that affects the quality of life of patients from the moment the disease is diagnosed. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of life of cancer patients treated at an Oncology Centre in Najaf. Methods: The study was conducted between March and June 2022 with 195 cancer patients who met the sampling criteria at the Najaf Oncology Center in Najaf, Iraq. It is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. Data were collected with the patient sociodemographic characteristics form and the European Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). The research data were analyzed by processing into the SPSS 25.0 package program with, descriptive statistical methods (numerical values, percentage, min-max values, mean and standard deviations), Independent Sample t-Test for comparison of quantitative data in data with normal distribution,and One-Way Analysis of Variance in comparisons of more than two groups. (ANOVA).The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for variables in which the amount of data was low in the groups, and corrected Bonferroni was used to find the group that made a difference when there was a difference. Statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Results: 28.2% of the participants were between the ages of 46-64, 58.5% were women, 86.7% were married, 30.8% were graduates of high school or an equivalent school, 42.6% were housewives, 62.6% were economically inadequate. 82.6% had children and 44.1% of those who had children lived with five or more children, 84.6% lived with their spouse and children, 59.5% had a chronic disease, and 59.5% of those with chronic diseases had hypertension. None of the participants drank alcohol, and 36.4% smoked. When the distribution of primary cancer regions was examined, it was found that 20.5% of the participants had breast cancer; 18.5% had gastrointestinal cancer, and 17.9% of cancers were in the urogenital region; 97.4% of the participants were undergoing chemotherapy, and 30.3% had had radiotherapy. It was found that 44.6% of them had received surgical treatment. Sub-dimension score averages of the quality of life scale were 34.23±8.84 for the functional dimension, 33.85±9.87 for the symptom dimension, and for the general health dimension, it was found to be 68.38±18.63. There was a significant relationship between the quality of life symptom dimension and age and having children, the general health dimension and age, surgical treatment status, and smoking status (p<0.05). No correlation was found between gender, education level, marital status, income status, number of children, having a chronic disease, cancer region and quality of life (p>0.05). Conclusions: According to the results obtained from the study, it was determined that the patient's age, having children, surgical treatment status, and smoking status affected different dimensions of life quality.