title: Quality of life in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in a tertiary care center in malwa region of punjab.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this prospective, non-interventional, 4-month observational study was to analyze and compare patient-reported quality of life (QOL) and their physical/psychosocial symptom burden during their respective chemotherapy sessions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective and descriptive study was carried out jointly by Pharmacology and Oncology Departments of a tertiary care center in Malwa region of Punjab. The data collection was performed by administering validated questionnaire/response after taking informed consent.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 131 cancer patients were recruited with the mean age of 49.05 ± 14.35 (SD (standard deviation)) years. As per the QOL scoring of Global Health Status (GHS) and four items of symptom scale, that is, insomnia, pain, appetite loss, and constipation, and financial difficulties attained a significance difference. GHS significantly improved in group three as compared to group one, indicating that the patient's overall health/QOL improved as the chemotherapy session progressed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although QOL scoring system did not show significant improvement in all areas (except insomnia, pain, appetite loss, constipation, and financial difficulties) with reference to their respective chemotherapy cycles, but a judicious diagnosis with an appropriate treatment including chemotherapy may lessen the negative perception of cancer as a deadly and fatal disease in our rural population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, Punjab, India ; Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Harminder
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, Punjab, India ; Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Kamalpreet
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.affiliation: Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, Punjab, India ; Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Raja Paramjeet Singh
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Banipal
authors.affiliation: Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Shaminder
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, Punjab, India ; Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Ritu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bala
keywords: Chemotherapy; European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 36; quality of life