Assessment of quality of life for adult cancer patients in Alexandria

Quality of life issues for patients with cancer have taken on new emphasis and importance in cancer treatment and care for the purpose of tertiary cancer prevention. The concern for assessing the psychological, social, functional, and spiritual needs of cancer patients has extensively increased in recent years for better palliative and curative treatments. Thus, the present study was designed to assess the quality of life for adult cancer patients in order to characterize them and their needs across multiple 'domains and age grouping. One hundred twelve adult cancer outpatients from Oncology Unit, University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria, Egypt, constitute the subjects for this study. Patients were interviewed to fill out sheets of EORTC QLQ-C30 plus sheets with other domains to characterize demographics, functional status, primary diagnosis, presence of metastatics, pain, disease duration, home setting and social support, and type of treatment and its duration. Data were analyzed using the program of MS-Excel 2003. Adult subjects [n = l 12, 100%] were divided into male [n = 38, 33.9%] and female [n = 74, 66.1%] groups and into three age groups: younger than 40 years [20.5%], 40 to 60 years [65.2%], and older than 60 years [14.3%]. Quality of life was moderate for almost all patients. However, no statistical significant difference was found between variables of quality of life for age or gender groups. Statistical significant association was found only between QOL total score and duration of the disease, showing poor QOL more prevalence at disease duration of less than 2 years. The results suggest that quality of life can be assessed and conducted through an outpatient cancer community using a self-report format. Despite variations in demographics across different gender and age groups, the present study demonstrated remarkable similarities between male and female, and younger and older cancer patients in terms of functional status and quality of life. However, newly diagnosed cancer patients need special care in order to adapt them to the new disease especially that the QOL among them was the worst

Site distribution and incidence rates of cancer in Alexandria, Egypt: thirty-year experience [1972-2001]

Information on the size and nature of the cancer problem is essential in planning of cancer control programs and development of etiological hypotheses. In Egypt, cancer registry is an important informative source for cancer incidence. Alexandria Cancer Registry is a hospital-based cancer registry covering all the governorate. During 1972-2001, 76,028 cases were accessioned into the registry and stored on the computer using the ICD-9 code. In males [37,851 cases], cancer of the urinary bladder accounted for 15.2% of all cancers, lymphatic and hematopoietic tissues were 19.3%, brain and nervous system were 9.2%, digestive system and peritoneum were 17.7%, respiratory system was 14.4%, oral cavity and pharynx were 5%, skin was 2%, bones were 2.5%, soft tissue was 1.9%, and breast was 1.6%. In females [38,177 cases], breast cancer accounted for 40.9%, urinary bladder was 3.4%, genital organs were 10%, oral cavity and pharynx were 2.7%, lymphatic and hematopoietic tissues were 11.9%, brain and nervous system were 6.6%, digestive system and peritoneum were 10.3%, skin was 1.1%, soft tissue was 1.6%, bones were 1.7% and respiratory system was 3.3%. Incidence rates were calculated for total cancers and for each type of cancer separately in each year of the studied period. Total cancer incidence rates showed increase in cancer incidence by-4 fold in 2001 compared to cancer incidence in 1972. Breast cancer incidence increased-6.6 fold. Digestive organs and peritoneum cancers increased -3.6 fold, while lymphatic and hematopoietic increased -7.9 fold