Effect of chemotherapy treatment on quality of life in patients with leukemia

Background: Leukemia is a type of cancer with high malignancy that develops in the stem cells of the hematological system. Chemotherapy is frequently preferred in the treatment of leukemia. Chemotherapy treatment is a treatment option with intense side effects as well as positive effects. The symptoms caused by leukemia and chemotherapy completely change the way of life of individuals. Changing adverse conditions can also negatively affect the quality of life of individuals. Decreased quality of life causes individuals to feel the burden of the disease more, makes it difficult to comply with treatment, and therefore negatively affects the healing process. For this reason, it is important to determine the quality of life of individuals and to plan nursing interventions accordingly. Objective: To evaluate the quality of life of individuals receiving chemotherapy treatment for leukemia. Method: A descriptive and cross-sectional research design was used. The study was conducted from March 2022 to November 15, 2022 at an Oncology Center located in the city of Holly Karbalaa. The sample consisted of 200 leukemia patients receiving chemotherapy treatment. As a data collection tool; Sociodemographic Form, World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale - Short Form 26 (WHOQOL-BREF 26) was used. The data were collected by face-to-face interview method. In the analysis of data; Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis Test were used in the analysis of descriptive statistics (number, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and quantitative data. Results: Of the participants, 38.5% were in the 20-29 age range, 52% were male, 81% were literate, 51.5% lived in rural areas, 40% were single, 39% had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 47%, She receives 5 induction treatments. WHOQOL-BREF 26 sub-dimension mean scores are as follows; general health status was 12.31±6.32, physical health 5.95±5.43, psychological health 22.08±4.52, social relations 13.37±6.25, environment 17.45±6.92. There was a significant difference between the participants' gender, education, region of residence and marital status and WHOQOL-BREF 26 physical, psychological, social relations and environmental areas (p<0.05). Conclusion and Recommendation: It was determined that the quality of life of leukemia patients who received chemotherapy treatment in Iraq was low. In nursing care, it can be suggested that individuals plan care content that will increase their quality of life.