Quality of life of women with inoperable ovarian cancer

Abstract

Ovarian cancer presents a considerable clinical and social problem. Due to poorly understood etiology and lack of specific symptoms at early clinical stages, over 75% of patients are diagnosed when distant metastases have already developed. The aim of this paper was to assess the quality of life of women with inoperable ovarian tumor over the entire course of disease, with particular emphasis on far-advanced clinical stages. Study population consisted of 40 patients treated at the Greater Poland Cancer Center (Wielkopolskie Centrum Onkologii) in Poznań, Poland. The study was performed using a custom-designed questionnaire and the QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Our results indicate that self-assessed quality of life depends both on the disease itself and its course, and on sociodemographic factors, e.g. age and education. Neoplastic disease and implemented therapy considerably contribute to deterioration of the patients’ quality of life. Disease-associated malaise and limitations result in the patients’ social dysfunction and severely limited professional activity, leading to deterioration of the patients’ financial status, limitation of social life to closest relatives and friends, necessity to seek help of other people and, most importantly – altered family relations. Elucidation of factors responsible for poor quality of life of cancer patients may assist us in focusing on domains of life which are most affected. Furthermore, this may prove a valuable aid in developing more effective support mechanisms to be implemented during treatment.