Chuo Yew Ting1,2, Guan Chou Teh3, Kong Leong Yu4, Haridah Alias1, Hui Meng Tan5,6, Li Ping Wong1. 1. Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2. Training Management Division, Ministry of Health, Wilayah Persekutuan, Putrajaya, Malaysia. 3. Department of Urology, Sarawak General Hospital, Ministry of Health, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. 4. Department of Radiotherapy, Oncology and Palliative Care, Sarawak General Hospital, Ministry of Health, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. 5. Urology Clinic, Ramsay Sime Darby Medical Centre, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. 6. Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the prevalence of self-perceived burden (SPB) and its association with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among urologic cancer patients. METHODS: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study. A total of 429 respondents diagnosed with urologic cancers (prostate, bladder and renal cancer) from Sarawak General Hospital and Subang Jaya Medical Centre in Malaysia were interviewed by using a structured questionnaire. SPB and HRQoL were measured by the Self-perceived Burden Scale and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General 7 Item Scale respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Self-perceived burden was experienced by 73.2% of the respondents. Respondents who had a lower education level, a monthly household income <MYR 5,000, monthly household expenditures <MYR 3,000 or whose Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG-PS) rating was higher and who faced medium to high subjective financial toxicity (FT) were more likely to experience low HRQoL, but not SPB, after adjustment for covariates. As medium to high subjective FT is significantly associated with high SPB and low HRQoL, future interventions should be prioritised to address subjective FT, which, in turn, would reduce SPB and improve HRQoL.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the prevalence of self-perceived burden (SPB) and its association with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among urologic cancerpatients. METHODS: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study. A total of 429 respondents diagnosed with urologic cancers (prostate, bladder and renal cancer) from Sarawak General Hospital and Subang Jaya Medical Centre in Malaysia were interviewed by using a structured questionnaire. SPB and HRQoL were measured by the Self-perceived Burden Scale and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General 7 Item Scale respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Self-perceived burden was experienced by 73.2% of the respondents. Respondents who had a lower education level, a monthly household income <MYR 5,000, monthly household expenditures <MYR 3,000 or whose Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG-PS) rating was higher and who faced medium to high subjective financial toxicity (FT) were more likely to experience low HRQoL, but not SPB, after adjustment for covariates. As medium to high subjective FT is significantly associated with high SPB and low HRQoL, future interventions should be prioritised to address subjective FT, which, in turn, would reduce SPB and improve HRQoL.