The quality of life of colorectal cancer patients attending the cancer center in addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND

Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and the second most deadly. CRC significantly impairs patients' overall and health-related quality of life, as well as their psychological and physical function. However, in Ethiopia, there is insufficient local evidence about the quality of life of patients with colorectal cancer. Hence, this study aimed to assess the quality of life of adult colorectal cancer patients who have follow-ups at the cancer center in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

METHODS

An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 159 colorectal cancer patients attending the Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital Cancer Center from February to April 2019. The validated Amharic version of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core 30 questionnaire (EORTC QLQ C-30) and the disease-specific colorectal cancer questionnaire (EORTC QLQ CR-29) were used. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with quality of life. The adjusted measure of effect (AOR) with a 95% CI was presented and P < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.

RESULTS

There were 159 colorectal cancer patients, 89 of whom were male, and the median time from diagnosis was 12.5 months. The patients had a low global health status score with a mean (± SD) of 52.88 ± 21.02. Being employed (AOR = 3.41; 95% CI 1.15, 10.17), early-stage clinical diagnosis (AOR = 4.98; 95% CI 1.51, 16.4), physical functioning (AOR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.01, 1.06), and social functioning (AOR = 1.02; 95% CI 1.01, 1.04) were associated with good quality of life. Whereas, being female (AOR = 0.16; 95% CI 0.05, 0.52), having financial difficulty (AOR = 0.98; 95% CI 0.96, 0.99), and having blood and mucus in the stool (AOR = 0.94; 95% CI 0.91, 0.96) were associated with poor quality of life.

CONCLUSION

In our study, half of our study participants had poor quality of life. The responsible stakeholders should identify and address the patients' respective symptoms. Female patients, those in severe clinical stages, unemployed patients, those experiencing financial difficulties, and those with blood and mucus in their stool should receive due attention.