Quality of Life Research
Volume 28, Issue 3, 2019, Pages 695-702

Health-related quality of life among cancer survivors in rural China (Article)

Su M. , Hua X. , Wang J. , Yao N. , Zhao D. , Liu W. , Zou Y. , Anderson R. , Sun X.*
  • a School of Health Care Management, Shandong University, Jinan, China, NHC Key Laboratory of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, Jinan, China
  • b School of Health Care Management, Shandong University, Jinan, China, NHC Key Laboratory of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, Jinan, China
  • c Shandong Provincial Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
  • d School of Health Care Management, Shandong University, Jinan, China, NHC Key Laboratory of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, Jinan, China
  • e Feicheng People’s Hospital, Feicheng, Shandong, China
  • f Health and Family Planning Commission of Linqu County, Linqu, Shandong, China
  • g Rushan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Rushan, Shandong, China
  • h Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
  • i School of Health Care Management, Shandong University, Jinan, China, NHC Key Laboratory of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, Jinan, China

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine health-related quality of life (HRQoL) about the most common cancers survivors (lung, stomach, colorectal, breast, and esophageal cancer) in rural China. Methods: We administrated a cross-sectional study in three counties in Shandong province from August to September 2017. The five-level EuroQol-5-dimension (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire was used to measure the HRQoL among cancer patients at least 8 months post-diagnosis. The Chinese population-based preference trade-off time (TTO) model and discrete choice experiment (DCE) were used to convert the EQ-5D-5L utility score. Tobit regression model was used to identify independent associations between socio-demographic, clinical variables with the HRQoL. Results: In total, 452 cancer survivors were included. The mean EQ-5D-5L utility scores and Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS) scores were 0.841 (SD = 0.233) and 70.35 (SD = 18.80) for cancer survivors, respectively. Among the five dimensions, 58.6% of survivors had at least slight levels of pain/discomfort, and 39.2% showed at least slight levels of anxiety/depression. The influencing factors of HRQoL included cancer stage at diagnosis, tumor site, comorbidities, annual household income, and migrant worker status (rural-to-urban migration). Compared to other cancer patients, lung cancer patients had the lowest HRQoL. Higher household income and being a migrant worker were associated with a higher HRQoL for cancer survivors. Conclusions: Cancer survivors in rural China have deteriorated HRQoL, and a substantial number of survivors have pain/discomfort problems. Our study provides detailed data on HRQoL of rural cancer survivors for future supportive and survivorship care in China. © 2018, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Author Keywords

China Health-related quality of life Cancer survivors rural

Index Keywords

China rural area Chinese breast cancer cancer patient lung cancer neoplasm Neoplasms human stomach cancer comorbidity middle aged colorectal cancer rural population controlled study priority journal cancer staging Aged Cross-Sectional Studies quality of life Surveys and Questionnaires migrant worker cross-sectional study Humans psychology cancer survivor male Cancer Survivors female questionnaire Article esophagus cancer major clinical study household income adult visual analog scale mortality European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions questionnaire advanced cancer
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85055755657&doi=10.1007%2fs11136-018-2038-6&partnerID=40&md5=825743ff8bbd66dc1663b2d8ec22f749
DOI: 10.1007/s11136-018-2038-6
ISSN: 09629343
Cited by: 2
Original Language: English