Assessment of Quality of Life of Lung Cancer Patients Using Eortc QLQ-13 in Pakistan

Lung cancer is one of the prime causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Lack of early screening and treatment options, limited financial resources, inadequate number of health care facilities, and cultural stigma associated with the disease are the major issues contributing towards the disease burden in developing countries, including Pakistan. The objective of the study was to assess the quality of life of lung cancer patients in Pakistan. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. A pre-validated questionnaire i.e. EORTC QLQ-C13 was self-administered to a sample of 100 lung cancer patients selected using a convenience sampling technique for measuring QoL. After data collection, data was cleaned, coded, and entered in SPSS. A significant difference (p >= 0.05) in QoL scores was observed in relation to different genders, age groups, qualification levels, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Female lung cancer patients, those in the age group less than 65 years, and low socioeconomic backgrounds had poor QoL. No significant difference (p >= 0.05) in QoL scores was observed among other demographic variables. The present study concluded that lung cancer patients had poor QoL despite awareness and advanced therapeutic strategies. Lung cancer had a negative outcome on quality of life across all domains. The highest score was observed for pain while the lowest score was observed for hemoptysis. Appropriate management of the disease symptoms with the help of pulmonary rehabilitation and social support can result in improved QoL of lung cancer patients.