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Global Health Econ Sustain COVID-19 pandemic and quality of life of cancer patients

Rakhsha et al. (2020) conducted a review that focuses considering postponing chemotherapy. However, another
on an individualized health-care protocol for patients large percentage of cancer patients believe that staying at
suffering from any form of cancer in a hospital structure home could increase tumor progression. Thus, this study
located in a developed country, Iran, with the aim of timely demonstrates a serious dilemma faced by cancer patients.
and correct care of cancer patients, while at the same time Soriano et al. (2021) conducted a cross-sectional study
reducing the risk of contagion and spread of COVID-19. using the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Short
Al-Maweri et al. (2020) referred to the mandatory closure Form (FCRI-SF), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI),
of clinics due to the pandemic and how this has affected the and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General
early diagnosis of oral cancer and discuss ways of coping. (FACT-G). Their sample consisted of 50 women whose
One of them is the use of telemedicine. scheduled surgeries at Christiana Care Helen F. Graham
Joly et al. (2021) aimed to estimate the percentage of Cancer Center and Research Institute were postponed due
cancer patients with post-traumatic stress symptoms to the pandemic. Their purpose was to assess the quality of
(PTSD) during the lockdown, to assess whether changes in life of patients with breast cancer by comparing it with the
oncology practice and demographic and clinical factors are effects of COVID-19. The results showed that, in general,
related to PTSD, and to investigate the association of PTSD the participants performed well psychosocially. However,
with various dimensions of quality of life. They conducted there were also many difficulties, such as anxiety, fear, and
a prospective study in the daycare wards of two cancer depression.
centers with a sample of 1,310 cancer patients. Forner et al. Catania et al. (2020), using the Patient Health
(2021), using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) questionnaire, assessed the
(HADS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) tools, conducted psychological state of lung cancer patients during the
a cross-sectional study with a sample of 14 cancer patients pandemic. The sample of the present qualitative study
from a tertiary hospital in Canada, investigating the consisted of 156 cancer patients who presented to the
psychosocial distress experienced by cancer patients when European Institute of Oncology in Milan for treatment or
awaiting surgery during the pandemic. The results showed review. The researchers concluded that individuals with
that the majority of participants experienced severe lung cancer feared disease progression more than those
anxiety, while almost half showed symptoms of depression. with COVID-19. The individuals who were most afraid
The study demonstrated the importance of adequately of contracting the virus were generally women, especially
informing patients about delays in their surgeries. mothers.
Using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Beck Frey et al. (2020) posted online a questionnaire about
Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaires, Yildirim the quality of life of women suffering from ovarian cancer
et al. (2021) conducted a comparative assessment of the during the pandemic. The questionnaire was answered
situations faced by 59 cancer patients in a hospital in by 603 women, the majority of whom lived in America.
Turkey before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to The questionnaire focused mainly on the psychological
identify the impact of the pandemic and treatment delays quality of life of women, using the HADS, Cambridge
on the psychology of cancer patients. Baffert et al. (2021) Worry Scale (CWS), and Statistical Package for the Social
conducted an observational study in Limoges, France. Sciences (SPSS) tools. The results showed that women
This study aimed to evaluate the stress and health-related under 65 years of age experienced more intense feelings of
quality of life of oncology patients during a pandemic. The anxiety, depression, and fear of disease progression.
results showed that, as the specific region of France was not Greco et al. (2021), using the short form-36 (SF-36)
significantly affected by the pandemic, 267 patients in the questionnaire, investigated the quality of life of patients
oncology department of the day hospital in Limoges who with urinary tract cancer during the pandemic. A total
participated in the study had no particular differences in of 50 patients of a tertiary care hospital in Italy whose
their quality of life and well-being during the pandemic.
planned surgical procedures were canceled participated
Ciążyńska et al. (2020), using the EORTC core quality in this quantitative study. According to the results, the
of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) questionnaire, general physical health of the patients was good, while
conducted a prospective study with 238 participants in many patients felt exhausted and had strong feelings of
Poland. The research has shown that the quality of life anxiety. Ratnasekera et al. (2020) conducted a rapid status
of cancer patients was significantly affected during the analysis among 25 randomly selected patients with oral
pandemic, with patients experiencing an intense fear cancer as part of an ongoing intervention study aimed at
of infection by COVID-19. In particular, 20% of the improving the quality of life of patients with oral cancer. It
cancer patients who participated in the research were was shown that communication between cancer patients

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2636