Assessment of the Quality of Life for Gynecologic Cancer Patients Using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (Fact-G) Questionnaire at Haji Adam Malik Hospital

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Nowadays, successful treatment of cancer is not only measured by 5-years survival rate, but also by the patient’s quality of life (QOL). Delayed in the seeking of cancer treatment resulted in high morbidity and impact on the quality of life.AIM:This study aims to assess the QOL of patients with gynecologic cancer after therapy. The results of this research can be used as a basis for cancer treatment that should be holistic, not only to eradicate the disease, but also improve QOL.METHODS:A total of 47 respondents who went to the Department of Oncology, Haji Adam Malik Hospital Medan from May to October 2015 were asked to fill out the FACT-G questionnaire for the QOL assessment. The patient’s personal and disease data was taken from the medical records. The data were analysed statistically by one-way ANOVA test.RESULTS:The results showed that the physical, social, emotional and functional of cancer patients were not much different based on the variables studied. The QOL was higher in patients with endometrial cancer compared with other types of cancer. The QOL was also higher in patients who had completed treatment (> 6 months) and early-stages cancer. There was no statistical difference between the QOL of patients with gynecologic cancer based on therapeutic modalities, duration of treatment and the stage of disease (p > 0.05).CONCLUSION:This current study found the QOL, physical, and emotional complaints are still encountered.

Evaluating health related quality of life in outpatients receiving anti-cancer treatment: results from an observational, cross-sectional study

“…Edianto et al assessed HRQOL in gynecologic cancer patients using FACT-G in an observational cross-sectional study. They did not find differences between treatment modalities, treatment duration and disease stage based on the total score of FACT-G [30].In their study most patients included had an early stage of the disease (57% stage I-II; 43% stage III; no patients with stage IV), in contrast to our study where most of the patients had a stage IV of the disease (77.7%), which could explain the differences regarding disease stage.…”

The Effect of Treatment on Quality of Life, Symptoms, and Social Life in Gynecologic Cancer Patients

“…It was determined that cancer treatment negatively affected the quality of life of the patients and that chemotherapy reduced the quality of life more than radiotherapy. Similar to our study, other studies found that the quality of life of patients who received radiotherapy was higher than those who received other treatments (Edianto et al, 2019; King et al, 2018; Reb & Cope, 2019). Tsai (2018) found that the quality of life scores of patients who received chemoradiotherapy after surgery were lower than those who received other treatments.…”

“…Likewise, previous studies have shown that cancer treatment negatively affects the ability to maintain a social life (Pfaendler et al, 2015;Xiaoyun & Fenglan, 2020). The quality of life scores of patients who were receiving adequate familial and social support were better in other studies examining the quality of life of patients with gynecologic cancer (Edianto et al, 2019;Nazik et al, 2014;Pinar et al, 2012).…”

“…Interrupted social roles cause the individual to experience feelings of frustration, uneasiness, worry, and uncertainty (Hallaç & Öz, 2011). In modern cancer management, the psychological and social aspects of treatment should be taken into consideration in addition to treating the disease itself to improve the quality of life of the patient (Edianto et al, 2019).…”

Mobile App for Gynecologic Cancer Support for Patients With Gynecologic Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy in China: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Participants’ QoL was measured with the Chinese version of the 27-item Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G, version 4) [ 29 ]. The FACT-G has been used to evaluate the QoL of patients with GC across different cultures [ 30 , 31 ]. The FACT-G Chinese version has been proven as a valid instrument, with Cronbach α of .92 [ 32 ].…”