Quality of life and functional capacity during the treatment of hematologic neoplasms

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer is a serious pathology with a high incidence and complex diagnoses. Emotional and environmental factors, the deleterious effects of these, and lifestyle affect different outcomes. Objective: Investigate the association between quality of life and functional capacity during treatment for hematologic cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional study with intentional sampling of patients of both sexes with hematologic neoplasms, interviewed in 2016. Quality of life (QF) was measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire. For the definition of functional capacity in basic and instrumental activities of daily life, the Katz Index and the Lawton Scale, respectively, were used. Data were analyzed by correlations and comparisons of means tests. Results: The 52 participants presented an average QF score of approximately 60.6. Among the functional scales, the worst result was in role functioning (46.8), while for symptoms, it was fatigue (48.1). The results of more expressive QF indicators were the strong correlation between role functioning and fatigue (r = -0.60), and a moderate correlation between social functioning and financial difficulties (r = -0.45). There was still an association between role functioning and functional incapacity in daily activities (p = 0.017). Fatigue was associated with incapacity for basic activities (p = 0.018), while insomnia was correlated with instrumental activities (p = 0.032). Conclusion: The association between lower QF scores and functional incapacity reflects the damaging effect of hematologic neoplasms on daily activities.