title: Impact of Physiological Symptoms and Complications of Colorectal Cancer on the Quality of Life of Patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital.
abstract: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is common worldwide. The high prevalence of the disease raises concerns about how CRC influences the health-related quality of life (QoL). To explore the impact of physiological symptoms and complications of CRC on patients' QoL, we conducted a cross-sectional survey using the FACT-C self-report instrument. The chi-square test was used to compare qualitative data. We found that pain was reported by most of the patients (n = 31; 77.5 %). Furthermore, male patients were more likely to complain of pain "mostly" as compared with females (P = .032). We found no significant differences between genders regarding general health-related questions. A greater proportion of male patients often complained of abdominal cramps (P = .542), weight loss (P = .086), and diarrhea (P = .408). More than half of the patients (n = 26; 65 %) reported having a good appetite; a greater proportion of males reported having a good appetite "mostly" (P = .014). Social and psychological qualities of life were not significantly different between male and female patients. Male and female patients did not differ in their report of disease acceptance (P = .420) and ability to enjoy life (P = .744). No difference was also found between genders regarding contentment with QoL (P = .793) or ability to sleep well (P = .695). Furthermore, there were no differences between genders regarding job fulfillment (P = .272). Our results add to the growing body of knowledge about the effect of CRC on QoL. Importantly, the differences in self-reported pain and appetite between male and female patients in our study suggest the importance of gender-based treatments in improving patients' QoL.
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. faisal_alabbas@live.com.
authors.forename: Faisal F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Alabbas
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ssakher M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Al-Otaibi
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Majed H Chamsi
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Pasha
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdullah M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Alghamdi
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hisham M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Al-Hindi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mahmoud S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Al-Ahwal
authors.affiliation: Community Medicine, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Basem S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: El-Deek
mesh_terms: D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Colorectal cancer; FACT-C; Physiological symptoms; Quality of life