Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic and health-related quality of life among esophageal cancer survivors

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose was to investigate whether social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced health-related quality of life (HRQL) in esophageal cancer patients and if so, to identify factors related to the HRQL changes. Methods: A prospective Swedish nationwide study of patients who undergone surgery for esophageal cancer between 2013 and 2019. Telephone interviews were conducted 5 weeks and 13 weeks after the introduction of social distancing recommendations. The participants responded to a few scales and items from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30. Regression models adjusted for potential confounders were used to examine mean score differences (MSD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) between compliance with the recommendations and HRQL. Results: In total, 134 individuals participated in the study. At 5 weeks, a reduction in role function was seen for individuals who fully (MSD À8, 95% CI: À16 to 0) and to a large extent (MSD À19, 95% CI: À26 to À12) complied with the recommendations. Less fatigue (MSD 9, 95% CI: 3-15) was also detected for this group. Being female, elderly, having comorbidities, living in a region with higher COVID-19 incidence, living in a villa, and being considered as an at-risk person were related to changes in role function. At 13 weeks, reductions in role function continued for those who fully complied with the recommendations (MSD À10, 95% CI: À19 to À1), but the risk variables were of less importance. Improvements in fatigue were no longer detected. Global quality of life, emotional function, or insomnia remained stable over time. Conclusions: This study indicates that individuals who undergone surgery for esophageal cancer and fully or to a large extent complied with the recommendations experienced reductions in role function, but not in global quality of life or emotional function, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The psychosocial and emotional experiences of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

“…Hamlish and Papautsky (2020) [53] reported higher levels of distress in White breast cancer patients compared to Non-white participants. In contrast, other research teams found that levels of distress among cancer patients were lower or no different than before the pandemic [ 19 ; 31 ; [54] , [55] , [56] ]. Even more, one study found no difference in anxiety or depression levels in cancer patients compared to the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic [57] .…”

“…Quality of life was mostly assessed by European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) scales [ 19 ; [49] , [50] ; 55 ; [58] , [59] , [60] ] and was reported as having been impacted negatively due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, different versions of the scale were used across the studies, making it difficult to extrapolate common findings across the board.…”

impact of social distancing on the psychological quality of life during COVID-19 for Jordanian University students

“…A study by Schandl et al (2021) looked on the health-related quality of life among esophageal cancer survivors during the pandemic. The study's goal was to see how the pandemic affected esophageal cancer survivors and to figure out what factors influenced their health quality of life.…”

Worry about getting infected, confidence in safeguards, and received treatment between waves one and two of COVID-19 among patients with cancer in the Stockholm region

“…[21] In addition, some studies indicate that patients with cancer experienced increased levels of distress at the beginning of the pandemic, such as those newly diagnosed with lung cancer, [22] breast cancer, [23] and hematological cancer, [24] but this was not found in studies with mixed cancer diagnosis. [25][26][27][28] In summary, little is known about Swedish patients with cancer and their perceptions regarding worry about getting infected, confidence in safeguards, and receiving cancer treatment in a region highly affected by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such knowledge could contribute to better preparedness about how patients with cancer react during a pandemic and what support they might need in a future pandemic.…”