Comparison of the quality of life among persons with lung cancer, before and after the chemotherapy treatment

• Autor(a) principal: Oliveira, Priscila Isolani de
• Data de Publicação: 2013
• Outros Autores: Pereira, Carlos Alberto de Castro [UNIFESP], Belasco, Angélica Gonçalves Silva [UNIFESP], Bettencourt, Ana Rita de Cassia [UNIFESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692013000300019; http://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/7805
• topic: Quality of Life; Carcinoma; Bronchogenic; Drug Therapy; Qualidade de Vida; Carcinoma Broncogênico; Quimioterapia

OBJECTIVE: this prospective study aimed to assess the quality of life related to health (QLRH) of patients with lung cancer after chemotherapy treatment. METHOD: The QLRH was assessed using the questionnaires Quality-of-Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and Lung Cancer Module (LC13), version 3.0. RESULTS: the sample was made up of 11 women and 19 men, with an average age of 68 years (51-87 years). After the chemotherapy treatment, the authors observed a clinically-relevant improvement in general quality of life, as well as in the symptoms of dyspnea, insomnia, hemoptysis, cough, thoracic pain, pain in the arm/shoulder, and financial difficulty. There was a worsening on the functional scale which assesses role performance and symptoms of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, sensory neuropathy, pain in other parts, constipation, loss of appetite and alopecia. CONCLUSION: although the patients have an improvement of their QLRH and symptoms related to the lung cancer after the chemotherapy treatment, there was a worsening of the symptoms which resulted from the toxicity of the chemotherapy medications.