Recent Management in Patients of Carcinoma Rectum With Respect to Quality of Lifea Retrospective and Prospective Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer is a major health problem worldwide. CRC remains in the top three of all cancer deaths and after its diagnosis and treatment the quality of life in patient of colorectal carcinoma is major morbidity issue worldwide, but the neoadjuvant treatment has come to overcome this morbidity in population. The aim of this review is to discuss important issues surrounding rectal cancer including its surgical and medical management with respect to quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life in carcinoma rectum patients undergoing recent management with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in MY Hospital and Cancer Hospital, Indore from Oct. 2011 to Sep. 2015. MATERIALS AND METHODS 40 patients were treated with only surgical management and 26 patients were treated with neoadjuvant treatment followed by surgery retrospectively and prospectively followed up. All patients were treated in curative attempt. Quality of life was assessed 6 months after the surgery using anonymous questionnaire. RESULTS Main effect on the factors for the variables Physical function, Role function, Emotional function, Cognitive function and Social function show significant improvement in Neoadjuvant group. Both groups showed a major difference in Role function and a consistent increase in Emotional well-being and Social functioning perspective across the time of the study. CONCLUSION Based on the results of earlier studies of QoL cases undergoing Neoadjuvant treatment versus Non-Neoadjuvant and our own findings, we deduced that cases undergoing Neoadjuvant treatment do have some restriction in their post-treatment QoL such as nausea, vomiting and financial difficulties. Otherwise, their quality of life is better than patient not undergoing Neoadjuvant treatment and equally important is the fact that cases undergoing Neoadjuvant treatment have more benefit in QoL as better surgical correction and post-operative disease free survival is the most important outcome of our study.