QUALITY OF LIFE IN PALLIATIVE CARE

Background: This article presents current views on palliative care and its impact on the quality of life (QOL) of cancer patients. On the basis of a literature review, selected predictors of QOL are discussed, such as physical complaints and demographic variables, and the impact of interventions delivered by the palliative team is highlighted. The aim of our study was to determine cancer patients' QOL (in terms of physical and psychological functioning) and its relationship with coping strategies. Material/Methods: Thirty patients referred to the Hospital Support Group at the Department of Palliative Medicine participated in the study. QOL was assessed with the QLQ-C30, and adjustment to cancer was measured with the Mini-Mac (Juszczynski 2001). Results: Strong relationships were found between coping with cancer and QOL. Destructive strategies (based on fear and resignation) correlated negatively with almost all aspects of QOL (physical, emotional, cognitive and social), with coefficients varying between -0.80 and -0.46. The strongest relationships were found for Anxiety preoccupation and physical functioning (r=-0.92; p <0.001). Constructive coping (based on fight and positive re-evaluation) was positively related to cognitive and social functioning (r= 0.56, p=<0.005 and r=0.53, p<0.005, respectively). Conclusions: QOL in cancer patients depends not only on good control of somatic symptoms, but also on psychological functioning. Minimizing the physical dysfunction in patients can help to avoid negative coping strategies, based on fear and resignation. An equally important task is to help patients deal with negative emotional states, which inevitably accompany a chronic disease such as cancer.