Authors

1Ainhoa Ulibarri Ochoa, 2Ioseba Iraurgi Castillo, 3Begoña Ruiz de Alegría Fernández de Retana, 4Vanesa Galego Carrillo, 5Pilar Sanz Osés, 6Mª Esther Hernández Santos, 7Carlos Peña Tejera 8Gurutze Ugartemendia Ibarbia

Position

1    Máster Universitario en Educación y Gestión de Enfermería. Escuela Universitaria de Enfermería de Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava.2    Doctor en Psicología Social. Facultad de Psicología y Educación de la Universidad de Deusto, Vizcaya.3    Doctora en Psicología Social. Escuela Universitaria de Enfermería de Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava.4    Doctora en Pedagogía. Universidad de Deusto, Vizcaya. 5    Enfermera. Hospital Universitario Cruces, Vizcaya.6    Enfermera. Hospital Galdakao-Usansolo, Vizcaya.7    Enfermera. Hospital Universitario de Álava. Sede Txagorritxu, Álava.8    Enfermera. Instituto Onkologikoa de Donostia-San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa.

Contact address

Ainhoa Ulibarri Ochoa Escuela Universitaria de Enfermería de Vitoria-Gasteiz. C/ José Achotegui, s/n. 01009 Vitoria-Gasteiz (Álava).

Contact email: ainhoa_ulibarri@ehu.es

Abstract

Objectives: to understand the evolution of quality of life associated with the health of cancer patients during treatment with outpatient adjuvant systemic chemotherapy, and to compare it with the overall population.
Method: an observational multicentre longitudinal study applying the SF-12v2 survey on a sample of 247 patients with cancer between 28 and 70-years-of age (initial measurement on their 2nd chemotherapy cycle; second measurement at their last cycle). The Student’s t test for independent data was used for comparison with the overall population, and the Student’s t test for associated data was used for the comparison between both measurements. For all comparisons, the effect size was calculated based on Cohen’s d measurement.
Results: 234 persons completed the study. There was a worsening in all SF-12 dimensions. All differences were statistically significant, except for vitality and pain; there was a noticeable worsening in physical function (t= 8.07; p< 0.001; d= 0.55). When compared with the overall population, there were statistically significant differences in all dimensions, except for pain. Worsening was higher when compared with patients at the end of their treatment in the Physical Component Summary (t= 14.4; p< 0.001; d= 0.96) and in the Mental Summary Component (t= 3.2; p< 0.002; d= 0.21).
Conclusions: those persons with outpatient chemotherapy will have a worsening in their perception of quality of life at the end of their treatment, and they will perceive a worse quality of life than the overall population in physical dimensions, and to a lower extent in the quality of life of emotional aspects.

Keywords:

quality of life; patients with cancer; outpatient chemotherapy; SF-12; research; longitudinal descriptive study

Versión en Español

Título:

Cambios en la calidad de vida de personas en tratamiento con quimioterapia adyuvante ambulatoria