Changes in Daily Activities of Cancer Patients after Diagnosis: How Do Canadian and Iranian Patients Perceive the Change?

Javad Shahidi; Ali Taghizadeh kermani; Mahmood Reza Gohari; Mohammad Reza Ghavamnasiri; Fahimeh Khoshroo; Leila Pourali; S. Robin Cohen

International Journal of Cancer Management

The Official Journal of Cancer Research Center (CRC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences

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Changes in Daily Activities of Cancer Patients after Diagnosis: How Do Canadian and Iranian Patients Perceive the Change?

Author(s):

Javad Shahidi¹,

Ali Taghizadeh kermani^2,*,

Mahmood Reza Gohari³,

Mohammad Reza Ghavamnasiri⁴,

Fahimeh Khoshroo⁴,

Leila Pourali⁵,

S. Robin Cohen⁶

1Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

2Surgical Oncology Research Center, Imam Reza Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Cancer Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

3Dept. of Statistics, Hospital Research Management Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

4Cancer Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

5Women's Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

6Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Depts. of Oncology and Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

International Journal of Cancer Management:Vol. 7, issue 1; e80506

Published online:Mar 31, 2014

Article type:Research Article

Received:Aug 05, 2013

Accepted:Oct 26, 2013

How to Cite:Javad ShahidiAli Taghizadeh kermaniMahmood Reza GohariMohammad Reza GhavamnasiriFahimeh Khoshroo Leila PouraliS. Robin Cohenet al.Changes in Daily Activities of Cancer Patients after Diagnosis: How Do Canadian and Iranian Patients Perceive the Change?.Int J Cancer Manag.2014;7(1):e80506.

Abstract

Background: Being diagnosed with cancer has major impacts on a patient’s life. This study was conducted to explore how specific daily activities of patients change as a result of cancer diagnosis or its treatment and how these patients feel about such changes.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Cancer patients referred to our clinics and by completing a questionnaire, they reported their daily activities and how they changed after diagnosis. A total of 201 patients in Canada and 167 patients in Iran completed the questionnaire. The research setting was the outpatient cancer clinics of the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Canada (February to April 2008) and Imam Reza Hospital and Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad, Iran (March to August 2008).

Results: More than 40 percent of the patients reported changes after the diagnosis in at least 8 out of 22 daily activities listed in the questionnaire. While a negative perception towards the changes was more common, some patients also perceived some changes as positive. More than half of the participants (56.9%) who were employed at the time of diagnosis experienced changes in the amount or type of their paid work after being diagnosed with cancer.

Conclusion: The impact of a cancer diagnosis and treatment on a patient’s daily activities is drastic. There is a need to provide support and interventions to help patients maintain daily activities they need and/or like. Further studies are needed to better understand the nature of such interventions.

Keywords

Activities of daily living

Neoplasms

Early detection of cancer

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