Risk of malnutrition and emotional distress as factors affecting health-related quality of life in patients with resected cancer

Abstract

Introduction

This study analyzes the prevalence of malnutrition, depression, anxiety, and somatization and which factor has the biggest effect on quality of life (QoL) in individuals with resected cancer.

Methods

A prospective study was conducted among 747 participants. Participants completed the EORTC-QLQ30, MST, and BSI-18 questionnaires.

Results

Prevalence for risk of malnutrition, depression, anxiety, and somatization were 36.4%, 35.5%, 35.2%, and 48.8%, respectively. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that malnutrition risk, somatization, depression, and anxiety accounted for 50.8% of the variance in functional scale, 45.3% in symptom scale, and 52.2% in global health. Malnutrition, somatization, depression, and anxiety displayed high explanatory power on all health-related QoL (HRQoL) scales.

Conclusion

The risk of malnutrition and psychological symptoms is strongly associated with HRQoL in cancer patients; thus, medical oncologists should develop effective interventions that contribute to lowering the risk of malnutrition and psychological distress, thereby improving subjects' HRQoL before initiating adjuvant chemotherapy.

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