加拿大女性对卵巢癌的看法。

Fitch M I, Gray R E, DePetrillo D, Franssen E, Howell D

Toronto-Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre, Ont.

Cancer Prev Control. 1999 Feb;3(1):52-60.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the perspectives of Canadian women living with ovarian cancer regarding their experiences with the disease.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of Canadian women with ovarian cancer.

SETTING

Survey questionnaires were sent to physicians in 26 cancer programs that treat women with ovarian cancer and to ovarian cancer self-help groups for subsequent distribution to women.

PARTICIPANTS

Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and able to read English or French.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

A variety of individual items in the survey related to information received, communication, physical and psychosocial symptoms, impact of illness and quality of life.

RESULTS

A total of 315 women returned the survey. The average age of the respondents is 59 years. Each province and territory is represented in the sample. Over one-half of the women received a diagnosis of ovarian cancer within a month of seeking help for a concern and 85% had multiple treatment modalities. The majority of the women felt adequately informed (80%) and were satisfied with communication with their physicians (mean of 4.1 to 4.5 on a 5-point scale). A majority (62%) said that their lifestyle had changed as a result of their disease. Problems were experienced most frequently regarding side effects (58%), fear of recurrence (54%), sleeping difficulties (46%), bowel difficulties (44%), fear of dying (36%) and difficulty concentrating (32%). Many who experienced problems reported receiving inadequate help for them (16% to 49%). Quality of life was reported as significantly lower following the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer (p = 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

This study provides an important foundation for further investigation. There is a pressing need for research regarding the early identification of ovarian cancer and issues of support and coping. Care for women with ovarian cancer requires the expertise of a range of disciplines and community-based agencies working collaboratively as a team.

目的

描述加拿大卵巢癌女性患者对自身疾病经历的看法。

设计

对加拿大卵巢癌女性患者的便利样本进行横断面调查。

地点

向26个治疗卵巢癌女性患者的癌症项目中的医生以及卵巢癌自助组织发放调查问卷，以便随后分发给女性患者。

参与者

被诊断患有卵巢癌且能够阅读英语或法语的女性。

主要观察指标

调查问卷中与所获信息、沟通、身体和心理社会症状、疾病影响及生活质量相关的各种单项内容。

结果

共有315名女性回复了调查问卷。受访者的平均年龄为59岁。样本涵盖了每个省和地区。超过一半的女性在因某种担忧寻求帮助后的一个月内被诊断出患有卵巢癌，85%的患者接受了多种治疗方式。大多数女性认为自己得到了充分的信息告知（80%），并且对与医生的沟通感到满意（在5分制量表上的平均分为4.1至4.5）。大多数（62%）表示她们的生活方式因疾病而改变。最常出现问题的方面是副作用（58%）、对复发的恐惧（54%）、睡眠困难（46%）、肠道问题（44%）、对死亡的恐惧（36%）和注意力不集中（32%）。许多经历问题的人表示在这些方面得到的帮助不足（16%至49%）。据报告，卵巢癌诊断和治疗后生活质量显著降低（p = 0.0001）。