| Summary: | 碩士 === 中國醫藥大學 === 醫務管理學系碩士在職專班 === 101 === Lung cancer has been the leading cause of death for ten years consecutively since 2001. The survival rate and quality of life can be improved drastically if lung cancer can be detected and treated early. Nonetheless, the treatment and illness will have a profound influence on patient’s overall quality of life at home.
Objective：To identify critical factors that affects patient’s quality of home life after treatment.
Methods：Secondary data analysis was employed based on the information of lung cancer patients from a medical center in central Taiwan. There were a total of 390 cases with data collected between January 2007 and December 2011. Data includes demographics, pathological type, cancer stage, treatment, time of last treatment received, and the questionnaire on the quality of life among lung cancer patients (EORTC QLQ C-30 and LC13). T-test, ANOVA and multiple regression analysis were utilized in this study to analyze the critical factors that influence the quality of life among lung cancer patients.
Results：Some of the most common symptoms experienced by cancer patients are fatigue, sleep disturbance, coughing, dyspnea and chest pain; furthermore, patient scores highest in physical functioning and lowest in emotional functioning. Overall quality of life is affected profoundly by smoking (p =0.027), treatment type (p <0.001), and time after treatment (p =0.033). The influence of emotional functioning on female (β=-8.8.7，p =0.008), chemotherapy (β= -9.268，p =0.030), radio-chemotherapy (β= -9.825，p =0.032), radiation therapy (β= -33.159，p =0.001) and during 90 to 180 day post treatment is statically significant; Furthermore, the influence of stage III and IV on the role functioning (β= -9.858，p =0.007) is statically significant , stage IV on cognition functioning (β= -7.011，p =0.023)、social functioning (β= -8.107，p =0.017) is also statically significant. For heart disease patients with complication, the physical functioning(β=-22.128，p =0.001) and role functioning(β= -17.523，p =0.028) is also worse. The quality of life and function scale is much lower for those who had radiotherapy .During 31 to 90 day post-treatment on physical functioning(β= -8.849，p =0.001)、role functioning(β= -7.606，p =0.010)、cognition functioning(β= -5.013，p =0.045)、social functioning(β= -9.262，p =0.001) and overall quality of life(β= -5.099，p = 0.025 ) is also worse, post-treatment more then 181 day on physical functioning(β= -7.724，p =0.004)、role functioning(β= -6.176，p =0.046),during 91 to 180 day post-treatment on emotional functioning is better(β= 6.980，p =0.045)。
Conclusion：Among those factors that play a role in affecting the quality of life after treatment, the demographic variables of gender, age, employment status, use of cigarette and complications are statistically significant; furthermore, disease characteristics including stage, treatment type, and time after treatment have a significant influence on the quality of life at home. The purpose of this study is to provide clinical professionals, patients, and families with valuable information to improve the overall quality of life for lung cancer patients.
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