MEDICAL AND SOCIAL SUBSTANTIATION OF THE PROBLEM OF QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH PROSTATE CANCER

Abstract

Introduction. Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most common cancers among men over 50. Nowadays in Ukraine, the number of new cases of PC tends to increase according to statistics. Objectives. The aim of the study is to identify the main problems in the life quality of patients with PC (C61) to optimize medical care for them. Methods. The main aspects of the quality of life of PC patients are studied by means of EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-PR25 questionnaires. Results. In Ukraine, as of the pre-war period (November 2021 – February 2022), the quality of life of patients with PC amounted to 52.31 on a 100-point scale. The worst indicators within the functional scale QLQ-C30 belonged to the subscale “Role functioning” (65.44). According to the QLQ-C30 symptoms scale, the highest score among the complaints of Ukrainian patients is fatigue (48.58). Given the results of our research on the QLQ-PR25 symptom scale, patients with PC were the most worried about “Urinary symptoms”, with a score of 38.54 out of 100. According to the functional scale QLQ-PR25, the worst indicators were for “Sexual activity”, which is equal to 32.22 points on a 100-point scale. Conclusions. It is important to create socio-psychological support for patients with PC and their families, which will include the development and implementation of standardized psychological care at all stages of diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.