The impact of knowing cancer diagnosis on quality of life in patients with gastrointestinal malignant tumor

Abstract

Objective To explore the difference in quality of life in patients with gastrointestinal cancer between those who knew cancer diagnosis and those who did not. Methods 130 patients with recently diagnosed gastrointestinal cancer in 4 general hospitals in Tangshan were interviewed. Patients were categorized into two groups: one group was those who knew their diagnosis(n=62) and the other group was those who did not (n=68). The Chinese version of European Organization for Research and Treatment (EORTC) quality of life (QOL) questionnaire (QLQ-C30) was used. Results The comparison of quality of life between patients who knew their diagnosis and those who did not indicated that the score of global quality of life and other functional scales including physical, emotional, role and cognitive functioning did not show significant difference(P>0.05). Compared with those who did not know cancer diagnosis, patients who were aware of diagnosis showed a significant lower degree of social functioning ((45.8±24.2) vs (73.0±16.2)), a significant higher degree of fatigue ((55.8±26.2) vs (41.8±10.2)) and financial difficulties ((38.2±35.1) vs (12.00±10.0))(P<0.01). In multiple regression analysis, physical functioning and symptom of fatigue had statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Conclusion The knowledge of cancer diagnosis does not contribute to the quality of life in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Key words: Cancer; Truth disclosure; Quality of life