A cross-sectional study to assess the “quality of life” among cancer patients in a tertiary care hospital in a metropolitan city

Background: Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide .Quality of Life measures have now become a vital part of health outcome appraisal and an effective way of capturing the personal and social context of patients .The diagnosis of cancer brings many challenges, with a major concern being maintaining the highest quality of life possible during and after the experience. The objectives of the study were to assess the health related quality of life among cancer patients and also to study the effects of type of cancer and treatment received after one month on their quality of life. Methods: It was a descriptive, cross sectional and hospital based study. Total duration of study was 6 months (August 2019-February2020), conducted in Oncology department of a Tertiary care hospital. A total of 90 cancer patients were selected as study subjects and interviewed by a validated SF-36 questionnaire. Results: A total of 90 cancer patients were included in the study, of which 18 were males and 72 were females and majority were in the age range of 40-60 years. 75% of cancer patients were living a below average quality of life. The study population had different types of cancers. Among females 50% patients were suffering from CA Breast and remaining patients were suffering from different types of cancer. Conclusion: Most of the patients who came to the oncology department of tertiary care hospital during our period of study had low quality of life.