QUALITY OF LIFE AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE IN WOMEN SUBMITTED TO ONCOLOGICAL TREATMENT

Abstract

Cancer is defined as a set of more than 100 heterogeneous malignant diseases, which present in their genesis disordered cell growth. Its treatment, which has several aspects, tends to directly impact the quality of life of patients. This study sought to evaluate the impact of cancer treatment on quality of life, in addition to analyzing the sociodemographic profile of women undergoing treatment for breast and cervical cancer in a city in the forest zone of Minas Gerais. A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out using an authorial questionnaire and QLQ-C30 for patients undergoing oncological treatment in a reference hospital between March and May 2023. Those patients with other types of cancer or who did not consent to participation were excluded. . It was observed that the profile of the patient participating in the study was: female, white, married, with a high school diploma, housewife, family income of up to 2 minimum wages, with health insurance and who attended UBS. Furthermore, a Perception of Quality of Life as “Good/Excellent” was associated with lower rates of difficulty in walking, less need to spend the day in bed, reduced rates of limitations regarding daily activities, greater free time for leisure, less impact on social life and reduced values in terms of financial impact. Finally, it was observed that the negative impact on the perception of quality of life of these patients is related to functional impairment, as well as the reduction in the practice of leisure activities and social interaction.