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Development of health‐related quality of life and symptoms in patients with advanced cancer in Greenland
Author(s) -
Augustussen M.,
Pedersen M.L.,
Hounsgaard L.,
Timm H.,
Sjøgren P.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
european journal of cancer care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1365-2354
pISSN - 0961-5423
DOI - 10.1111/ecc.12843
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , nausea , vomiting , poverty , prospective cohort study , physical therapy , nursing , economics , economic growth
A prospective national cohort study assessed the development of health‐related quality of life ( HRQ oL) and symptoms in adult patients undergoing treatment and care for advanced cancer in Greenland. HRQ ol was examined by EORTC QLQ ‐C30 version 3.0 questionnaire monthly for 4 months. Changes over time and between‐group comparisons were examined. Of 58 patients included in the study, 47% completed the questionnaire four times. Functioning was generally high, and improved social functioning was observed after 1 and 2 months. The highest symptom score was for fatigue followed by pain and nausea/vomiting. A high score for financial problems remained unchanged during the entire period. Patients with higher income had reduced pain intensity ( p = .03) and diarrhoea ( p = .05) than patients with income below the poverty line. After 1 month, reduction in pain intensity was observed for Nuuk citizens compared with non‐Nuuk citizens ( p = .05). After 2 months, non‐Nuuk citizens reported improved social functioning compared with Nuuk citizens ( p = .05). After 3 months, Global Health in Nuuk citizens was improved compared with non‐Nuuk citizens ( p = .05). An important clinical finding was that patients’ needs for support are related to social status, and geographical factors should be taken into account when planning palliative care.