Title:The Impact of Comorbid Diabetes Type 2 on Quality of Life in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy
Volume: 21
Issue: 6
Author(s): Maria Lavdaniti*, Styliani Michalopoulou, Dimitra-Anna Owens, Eugenia Vlachou and Kyriakos Kazakos
Affiliation:
- Nursing Department, International Hellenic University, Thessaloniki,Greece
Keywords:
Cancer, type 2 diabetes, chemotherapy, quality of life, Greece, factors.
Abstract:
Background and Objective: Cancer and diabetes are two highly prevalent diseases
worldwide and greatly influence quality of life of those suffering from it. The study aimed to compare
quality of life in patients diagnosed with cancer and diabetes with those without diabetes both
undergoing chemotherapy and to investigate the factors responsible for the difference between the
two groups.
Methods: A convenience sample of 101 participants who had cancer and type 2 diabetes and 99
who had cancer without diabetes were used.
Results: Patients with comorbid diabetes were divided based on their diabetes duration and
whether they had glycaemic control or not. Diabetic cancer patients without glycaemic control had
lower scores in global health status and in physical and emotional functioning compared to diabetic
cancer patients with glycaemic control and patients without diabetes (p < .05). After adjusting for
demographic characteristics, the differences between the group with diabetes and without glycaemic
control and the other two groups regarding global health status were statistically significant
(p < .05). Patients with more than a 7-year history of diabetes had a significantly lower emotional
functioning than the no diabetes group and lower global health status score than both of the other
groups (p < .05). After adjusting for clinical and demographic characteristics, only the difference
between the ≥ 7 years diabetes duration group and the no diabetes groups remained significant.
Conclusion: The presence of diabetes in cancer patients who underwent chemotherapy seems to
negatively influence certain domains of quality of life and this may be affected by the duration of
diabetes and whether glycaemic control has been achieved or not.
