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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2020 | Volume
: 3
| Issue : 1 | Page : 117-118 |
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Quality of life in advanced cancer patients
Satvik Khaddar
Department of Medical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| Date of Submission | 31-Dec-2019 |
| Date of Acceptance | 10-Jan-2020 |
| Date of Web Publication | 24-Feb-2020 |
Correspondence Address:
Satvik Khaddar
Department of Medical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/CRST.CRST_132_19
How to cite this article:
Khaddar S. Quality of life in advanced cancer patients. Cancer Res Stat Treat 2020;3:117-8 |
The WHO defines quality of life (QoL) as an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns.[1] There is extensive literature regarding QoL issues in cancer patients worldwide[2] and South Asian region[3] highlighting the importance of the issue.
In the study by Asthana et al.,[4] the authors have explored the health-related QoL issues of cancer patients attending the outpatient palliative care clinic of a tertiary care center in North India. However, often neglected in Indian studies is the prognostic impact of QoL in advanced cancers, which has been highlighted in many international publications.[5],[6],[7] Another neglected aspect in the Indian setting is the care at the terminal phase of life termed as the quality of death index in which India was ranked 67th among 80 countries, well behind Brazil, Ghana, and Kenya.[8] These issues have been highlighted in the editorial by Salins.[9] Our focus of research should be more on the interventions needed to improve QoL of patients, especially early in the course of the disease. What is needed at this hour is an entire package of palliative care, which includes pharmacological, psychosocial, and emotional support to patients and their families.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
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| 8. | Unit EI. The 2015 Quality of Death Index: Ranking Palliative Care Across the World. London: The Economist Intelligence Unit; 2015. p. 15. |
| 9. | Salins N. Health-related quality of life: Is it a missing feature in the Indian cancer setting? Cancer Res Stat Treat 2019;2:213-4. [Full text] |
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