Quality of life, emotional state, anemia, and fatigue in colon cancer patients after surgery

Abstract

Objective: Cancer and its treatments can alter the patient’s adaptation to their daily lives. This work aims to investigate the impact of colon cancer and surgery treatment in quality of life, emotional state, fatigue and anemia in a sample of 77 patients.
Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study assessing quality of live (QLQ-C30), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), fatigue (Brief Fatigue Inventory), anemia (hemoglobin < 12 g/dl. for women and < 13 g/dl. for men).
Results: Mean scores for anxiety and depression were within the normal range, 6.5% obtained a score of anxiety within the clinical range, and 7.8% a depression score within the clinical range. On average, the group of women is 11.9 g / dl. blood hemoglobin, men are 12.65 g / dl. The average fatigue score of 1.35 out of 10 points and fatigue interference with daily life of 0.85 out of 10. Regarding the European data of patients with local colorectal cancer, the overall quality of life of the individuals was high (69.26, Dt 24.45), satisfactory functional areas, three above the reference value (physical, social and role), and dyspnea and pain symptoms are lower than these levels.
Conclusions: Only a small percent of colon cancer patients have some impairment in biological, psychological and social areas explored. The scores in quality of life of cancer patients In Spain is very similar to European reference values and even better in some functional areas and symptoms.