Supportive Care Needs and Association With Quality of Life of Mexican Adults With Solid Cancers

Patients with cancer have supportive care needs. Studies that analyze the relationship between supportive care needs and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are scarce. Cultural differences in supportive care needs and perceived QoL are also worth analyzing.

The aim of this study was to assess the association between supportive care needs and HRQoL of Mexican adults given a diagnosis of solid cancers.

We performed a secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional survey of 825 adult patients with cancer treated at the Oncology Hospital of the Mexican Institute of Social Security. The QLQ-30 from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer served to measure HRQoL, and the Supportive Care Needs Questionnaire was used to ascertain the needs. The analysis included multiple linear regression models for each HRQoL domain controlled for demographic, clinical, and social support covariates.

There was an association between psychological needs with low scores in the HRQoL domains of global health, emotional functioning, and increased fatigue. Physical and daily living needs were associated with most HRQoL domains except the emotional domain. Patient care needs were related to low scores in the emotional and social functioning domains. Health systems and information needs were associated with low scores on cognitive functioning.

Physical, psychological, patient care, and informational needs were associated with decreased HRQoL of Mexican patients with cancer.

Healthcare providers, including nurses, are encouraged to perform routine, comprehensive evaluations of the supportive care needs and HRQoL of patients with solid cancers to respond in a timely manner to their needs.