Indicators of the quality of life of patients with colorectal cancer: A literary review

Abstract

Relevance: GLOBOCAN estimates 1.9 million new cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) and 935,000 deaths from CRC in 2020.
 CRC accounts for every tenth cancer case or dying from cancer. According to the Oncological Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan (RK), in 2019, CRC ranked 5th in incidence and mortality among all cancers. With a survival time of more than five years, one of the main criteria that determine the condition of patients and the effectiveness of treatment is their quality of life (QOL). Understanding QOL parameters is essential to assess the full impact of the disease on an individual, family, and community. The purpose of the study was to analyze the quality-of-life indicators in patients with colorectal cancer and validate a Kazakh variant of the EORTC QLQ-CR-2 questionnaire in RK.
 Results: The QOL of patients with CRC globally is relatively low in its physical, mental, social, and clinical aspects. The most important factors affecting the QOL are sexual dysfunction, body dissatisfaction in ostomy patients, chronic recurrent diarrhea, symptoms of distress, and high fatigue. The patient’s lifestyle, age, gender, stage of the disease, and psycho-emotional status all affect the QOL of patients with CRC. It should also be noted that CRC survivors who have been physically active report a better QOL than those who were not physically active.
 Conclusion: The fact that no study has been conducted in the RK for the QOL of patients with CRC necessitates a survey to understand the QOL parameters in patients with CRC using the Kazakh version of the EORTC QLQ-CR-2 questionnaire. We plan to conduct such a study in the near future within the framework of grant funding for young scientists IRN AP09058432 KN MES RK and publish the results.