Archiv für chirurgische Onkologie

Health Related Quality of Life in Patients with Lung Cancer in Morocco

Abstract

Benbrahim Z*, El Fakir S, Mrabti H, Nejjari C, Benider A, Errihani H, El Mesbahi O and Mellas N

Background: The Moroccan perspective on quality of life (QOL) in lung cancer has not been studied adequately in a country where the disease represents the leading cause of cancer among men.
Methods: Data on Health Related QoL were collected within a Moroccan multicenter prospective study in patients with lung cancer. We used the EORTC QLQ–C30 and the lung specific module (EORTC QLQ–LC13) to highlight the health-related QOL of Moroccan patients with lung cancer. We also assessed the socio-demographic and clinical variables that predict the scales of the QLQ–C30 and QLQ-LC13.
Results: The mean age of the 497 participants was 61.24 ± 10.55 years. The majority of patients (91.8%) were male and 76.9% had stages III and IV disease. Patients study reported an impaired HRQoL as compared to the normal population with an exception for social functioning, where the mean score was higher (77.7 vs. 71.3)). For the QLQ-LC13, Moroccan patients seemed to have more severe symptoms compared to the normal population especially for dyspnea, coughing and chest pain. Patients with low performance status and advanced stage disease had poorer HRQOL scores.
Conclusion: This was the first HRQoL study in lung cancer patients in Morocco. The combination of an advanced disease, aging and low performance status along with poor quality of life emphasizes the importance of supportive care in this group of patients.