Quality of Life in Cancer Patients with Disfigurement due to Cancer and its Treatments

Duraipandi Arunachalam, Ammapattian Thirumoorthy, Saraswathi Devi, Thennarasu, Duraipandi Arunachalam, Ammapattian Thirumoorthy, Saraswathi Devi, Thennarasu

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of disfigurement due to cancer and its treatments on quality of life.

Materials and methods: A total of 120 patients from the inpatient/outpatient department of oncology who had undergone various forms of treatment for cancer were included in this study. The WHOQuality of Life BREF (WHOQL-BREF) version was administered to the patients to assess their quality of life.

Results: Patients' overall quality of life score ranged from 34 to 79 with an average of 53.18 (SD 11.94) and a large number of patients had scored from 40 to 54 on the WHOQOL-BREF.The study showed a significant difference between gender groups (t = 3.899, P < 0.05), with a significant difference in the mean quality of life between different categories of the prominent stigma (f = 4.018, P < 0.05) and the nature of stigma. Disfigurement clearly was a stressful experience for both sexes, but substantially more distressing for women. Majority of the patients experienced poor quality of life in all dimensions, namely, physical health, psychological health, social relationships, environmental health, and other sociodemographic variables.

Conclusion: Living with a disfiguring body which is visibly different is not always easy. A sudden change either due to cancer or its treatment or due to side effects leads to significant social maladjustment, elevated anxiety, depression, and poor quality of life among the cancer survivors with body disfigurement which calls for multiprofessional involvement in addressing various psychosocial issues.

Keywords: Cancer; Disfigurement; Quality of life.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

References

    1. David L, Harris Cosmetic surgery-where does it begin? Br J Plast Surg. 1982;35:281–6.
    1. Rumsey N, Clarke A, White P. Exploring the psychosocial concerns of outpatients with disfiguring conditions. J Wound. 2003;12:247–52.
    1. Williamson D, Gonzalez M, Finlay A. The effect of hair loss on quality of life. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2001;15:137–9.
    1. Van Der Donk J, Hunfeld J, Passchier J, Knegt-Junk K, Nieboer C. Quality of life and maladjustment associated with hair loss in women with alopecia androgenetica. Soc Sci Med. 1994;38:159–63.
    1. McGarvey E, Baum L, Pinkerton R, Rogers L. Psychological sequelae and alopecia among women with cancer. Cancer Pract. 2001;9:283–8.
    1. Dropkin M. Anxiety, coping strategies, and coping behaviors in patients undergoing head and neck cancer surgery. Cancer Nursing. 1999;24:143–8.
    1. Chaturvedi SK, Shenoy A, Prasad KM, Senthilnathan SM, Premlatha BS. Concerns, coping and quality of life in head and neck cancer patients. Support Care Cancer. 1996;4:186–90.
    1. Newell R, Marks I. Phobic nature of social difficulty in facially disfigured people. Br J Psychiatry. 2000;176:177–81.
    1. Rumsey N, Clarke A, Musa M. Altered body image: The psychosocial needs of patients. Br J Commun Nurs. 2002;7:563–6.
    1. Pruzinsky . Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice. New York: The Guilford Press; 2002.
    1. Magee H. Meeting the information needs of people with conditions that affect appearance 3. Bristol. 2008
    1. Rumsey N, Clarke A, White P. Exploring the psychosocial concerns of outpatients with disfiguring conditions. J Wound. 2003;12:247–52.
    1. Jackson S, Harrad R, Morris M, Rumsey N. The psychosocial benefits of corrective surgery for adults with strabismus. Br J Ophthalmol. 2006;90:883–8.
    1. Bull R, Rumsey N. The Social Psychology of Facial Appearance. New York Inc; 1988.
    1. Malt U, Ugland O. A long-term psychosocial follow-up study of burned adults. Acta Psychiatr Scand Vica Suppl. 1989;355:94–102.
    1. MacGregor F. Facial disfigurement: Problems and management of social interaction and implications for mental health. Aesthet Plast Surg. 1990;14:249–57.
    1. Houston V, Bull R. Do people avoid sitting next to someone who is facially disfigured? Eur J Soc Psychol. 2006;24:279–84.
    1. James H, Newman S, Shipley M, Moore S, Olaleye A. Appearance In the context of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) does appearance matter.? Appearance Matters 3 conference. Bristol. 2008
    1. Kent G, Keohane S. Social anxiety and disfigurement: The moderating effects of fear of negative evaluation and past experience. Br J Clin Psychol. 2000;40:23–34.
    1. Clarke A, Rumsey N, Collinand J, Wyn-Williams M. Psychosocial distress associated with disfiguring eye conditions. J Eye. 2003;17:35–40.
    1. Lansdown R, Rumsey N, Bradbury E, Carr A, Partridge J. Visibly different: Coping with disfigurement. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann; 1997.
    1. Robinson E, Rumsey N, Partridge J. An evaluation of the impact of social interaction skills training for facially disfigured people. Br J Plast Surg. 1996;49:281–9.

Source: PubMed

Sponsors et collaborateurs

Les conditions médicales

Interventions en matière de drogue

3
S'abonner