Quality of life of patients with sarcoma postchemotherapy

This study was designed to describe the effects of a 96-hour doxorubicin hydrochloride/dacarbazine chemotherapy protocol for soft-tissue sarcoma on patients' functioning, life-style, and quality of life (QOL). Patients from the surgical oncology clinic of a large, midwestern university completed the Quality of Life Index--Cancer Version (QLI) and Functional Living Index: Cancer (FLIC). Additional information obtained regarded response to chemotherapy and demographic data. Patients were most satisfied with faith in God, family health, health care, long life, and their spouse. Patients were least satisfied with sex life, stress or worries, unemployment, financial independence, and government influence. QOL in the family domain was found to be significantly higher than QOL in the health, functioning, and socioeconomic domains (p less than 0.05). Functional living assessment indicated that patients were confident in their prescribed course of treatment, optimistic about the future, generally felt well, and felt that their QOL had improved since treatment. Aspects of chemotherapy that most interfered with patients' lives were the length of treatment and the financial burden. The patients reported a high confidence level in the medical and nursing care that they received.