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Quality of Life and Survival of Patients with Colorectal Cancer: Integrative Review

Thursday, 16 July 2009: 1:45 PM

Namie Okino Sawada, PhD
Department of General and Specialized Nursing, School of Nursing of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Adriana Cristina Nicolussi, RN
The Group of Studies on Reabilitation of Oncological Patients, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

Learning Objective 1: To identify the integrative review such as strategy of evidence based practice

Learning Objective 2: To know the factors that affect the Quality of life of patients with colorectal cancer.

Purpose: To measure Quality of Life (QoL) is essential to evaluate the impact that the cancer and the treatment cause in the life of oncologic patients. With the purpose to evaluate the produced scientific knowledge regarding the quality of life of adult patients with colorectal cancer, we carried out this integrative literature review, that is considered a strategy to identify the existent evidences to base one health practical on the different specialties and is presented as one of the instruments of the Evidence Based Practice(1-2).

Methods: Integrative Review,the articles were selected using the databases MEDLINE, LILACS, and CINAHL, between 1997 and 2007. Two thematic categories were established: short-term survival, long-term survival, and the sample comprised nine articles

Results: Result analysis revealed that cancer diagnosis and treatment affects physical, emotional, mental, social and role functioning, and global health. Furthermore, it causes several symptoms at different levels. In addition, it showed that QoL is also affected by factors such as the presence of co-morbidities, lifestyle, leading a sedentary life, age, gender, stage of the tumor at diagnosis, type of treatment, disease remission and recurrence

Conclusion: As gaps in the knowledge, we detected low national scientific production and low contribution by nurses, with predominance of descriptive studies, considered a weak evidence level. We suggest the preparation of the nurses since their graduation until their clinical action in researches that make it possible to improve the QoL of patient with colorectal cancer.

See more of: Quality of Life in Cancer Patients
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