The Exploration of Health-Related Quality of Life: Factors Influencing Quality of Life in Gynecologic Cancer Patients.

The purpose of this study was to explore quality of life (QoL) and the factors influencing QoL in gynecological cancer patients. One hundred sixty-seven patients with gynecologic cancers were recruited from a district hospital in Southern Taiwan. The instruments used included the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 Version 3.0 in Chinese (EORTC QLQ-C30), the Symptom Distress Scale, and demographic characteristics and disease-related variables. The results showed that the mean score for the QLQ-C30 was 61.13 (SD = 22.71). In the stepwise regression model, two factors predicted overall global QoL: symptom distress (33.8%) and current occupation (2.2%). These predictors accounted for 36.0% of the total variance. These results showed that symptom distress was a predictor of QoL. This study provides a reference for use when designing improved educational care programs that reduce patient symptom distress and enhance gynecologic cancer patients' QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]