Association of the quality of psychosocial support and quality of life in patients with chronic oncological pain.

Abstract

e23113 Background: Most studies report that tumor related pain occurs between 46% and 92%. The prevalence of pain by clinical stage is 15% in initial stages, 30% in middle stages, 74% in metastatic cancer and, 87% in terminal disease. In the face of chronic diseases such as cancer, patient's relationships with their social networks are affected; among them the interpersonal relationships between the patient and his networks and these towards the patient. With this, the patient’s quality of life is affected. Most of the recent studies on health-related quality of life come from pharmaceutical groups, so it is necessary for other groups to be vigorously involved in the study of the effect of medical interventions on the quality of life, as well as on the impact on health and on the social support of patients with chronic diseases. Methods: In order to obtain the data, validated questionnaires were used as instruments to evaluate the quality of life, measuring psychosocial and health variables, as well as for the detection of the type and quality of psychosocial support perceived by the subjects. The instruments were applied to 207 patients of the Oncology Service of the University Center Against Cancer of the University Hospital “Dr. Jose Eleuterio Gonzalez” in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, during a session of 25 to 30 minutes. Results: Data were collected from 207 patients with chronic oncological pain. The satisfaction index with psychosocial support had a high linear correlation ( r = .640) with the quality of life index. On the other hand, the number of caregivers was not correlated with this last index. Fatigue was the symptom most frequently associated with a decrease in the quality of life index. In addition, pain correlated with all variables except the cognitive index. Conclusions: Satisfaction with the perceived social support is a factor associated with the quality of life in patients with chronic oncological pain; however, the number of caregivers is not. There was no relationship between the size of the network and satisfaction with it. Also, the symptoms associated with chronic oncological pain affect quality of life, identity and social functionality and roles, which in turn impact on the quality of life perceived by patients.