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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Asian Journal of Oncology 2020; 6(01): 20-28
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1703420
Original Article

Assessing the Quality of Life of Filipino Cancer Patients: A Survey of Filipino Oncologists

Frederic Ivan Ting
1   Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
,
Jose Miguel Callueng
2   Department of Radiation Oncology, University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
,
Jeremiah Vallente
3   Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
,
Reya Andrea Hurtado
4   Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
,
Arjel Ramirez
5   Division of Surgical Oncology, University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
,
Lance Isidore Catedral
1   Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
,
Rich Ericson King
1   Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
,
Rogelio Velasco Jr.
1   Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
,
Karen Anjela Mondragon
1   Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
,
Jorge Ignacio
1   Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
,
Corazon Ngelangel
1   Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
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Abstract

Introduction Recent trials of new drugs have placed much emphasis on survival. However, several guidelines have emphasized the need for assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as part of the holistic approach in the management of cancer patients. There are currently no national governing guidelines and no existing data on the status of HRQoL assessments by Filipino oncologists, thus this study.

Study Design This was a cross-sectional study that utilized a validated questionnaire. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were used to analyze the data.

Results A total of 312 oncologists participated in this study. Majority were medical oncologists (41%), followed by radiation oncologists (25%), hematologists (14%), gynecologic oncologists (12%), and surgical oncologists (8%). About 96% reported that HRQoL assessment was important for clinical work; however, 58% perceived HRQoL to be a vague term and 55% felt they were insufficiently trained to assess HRQoL. About 89% reported that they will be more confident if local HRQoL assessment guidelines will be present, and 93% agreed to the use of a unified HRQoL assessment tool for Filipino cancer patients. About 85% thought that the optimal number of questions for a HRQoL assessment tool should be between 5 and 15 questions. The significant predictors of HRQoL assessment among oncologists were field of oncology and years in practice/training (p < 0.05).

Conclusion Filipino oncologists perceived HRQoL patient assessments to be important in clinical practice. However, majority did not know which tool to use and did not feel sufficiently trained to assess HRQoL. The creation of a practice guideline that would facilitate the use of a unified HRQoL assessment tool for Filipino cancer patients is highly recommended.

Keywords

clinical practice - Filipino cancer patients - oncologists - quality of life


Publication History

Article published online:
22 February 2020

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