Development of health-related quality of life and symptoms in patients with advanced cancer in Greenland
A prospective national cohort study assessed the development of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms in adult patients undergoing treatment and care for advanced cancer in Greenland. HRQol was examined by EORTC QLQ-C30 version 3.0 questionnaire monthly for 4 months. Changes over time...
| Published in: | European Journal of Cancer Care |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://curis.ku.dk/portal/da/publications/development-of-healthrelated-quality-of-life-and-symptoms-in-patients-with-advanced-cancer-in-greenland(e774e23c-0c7e-461e-ad9f-ce28a4cb7c88).html https://doi.org/10.1111/ecc.12843 https://curis.ku.dk/ws/files/218436584/Augustussen_et_al_2018_European_Journal_of_Cancer_Care.pdf |
| Summary: | A prospective national cohort study assessed the development of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms in adult patients undergoing treatment and care for advanced cancer in Greenland. HRQol was examined by EORTC QLQ-C30 version 3.0 questionnaire monthly for 4 months. Changes over time and between-group comparisons were examined. Of 58 patients included in the study, 47% completed the questionnaire four times. Functioning was generally high, and improved social functioning was observed after 1 and 2 months. The highest symptom score was for fatigue followed by pain and nausea/vomiting. A high score for financial problems remained unchanged during the entire period. Patients with higher income had reduced pain intensity (p =.03) and diarrhoea (p =.05) than patients with income below the poverty line. After 1 month, reduction in pain intensity was observed for Nuuk citizens compared with non-Nuuk citizens (p =.05). After 2 months, non-Nuuk citizens reported improved social functioning compared with Nuuk citizens (p =.05). After 3 months, Global Health in Nuuk citizens was improved compared with non-Nuuk citizens (p =.05). An important clinical finding was that patients’ needs for support are related to social status, and geographical factors should be taken into account when planning palliative care. |
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