Quality of Life of Patients with Gastric Cancer and Its Related Factors in Zanjan 2017

Cancer can affect the quality of life of patients. The aim of this study was to determine the quality of life of patients with gastric cancer and its related factors.

This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study samples were 108 patients with gastric cancer admitted to oncology wards and outpatients of Valiasr Hospital in Zanjan in the spring of 2017 who were studied by census method. Data collection tools were the demographic information form and questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30.V.3). Mean and standard deviation were calculated using descriptive statistics. Due to the normality of the data, parametric tests were used to compare the two groups by independent t-test and for more than two groups, analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to determine the relationship.

The mean age of patients was 51.92 ± 8.78 years. All patients reported poor quality of life in all three areas of function, symptoms and overall dimension with a mean of 43.43, 69.77, 42.20, in a weak range. Men had better quality of life in terms of symptoms (p=0.002) and overall (p=0.021). Functional area increased with age (r=0.199) (p=0.039) and duration of diagnosis (r=0.191) (p=0.048). All dimensions were more unfavorable in patients with rented housing (p=0.024). There was no significant relationship between job, level of education, marital status, number of hospitalizations, number of family members and children, with quality of life.

According to the findings of the study, it is recommended that various support systems in the community, including the health care system, provide educational and counseling services and comprehensive support.