Quality of life of patients with colon cancer

ABSTRACT

The modern lifestyle is one of the factors that determine the possibility of colon cancer. While death rates from colorectal cancer have declined since the early 1970s as a result of earlier detection and better treatment, it remains the third most common cancer in both men (after lung cancer and prostate cancer) and in women (after breast cancer and lung cancer), but also the second most common cause of cancer death overall. If colon cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the five-year survival rate increases to 93%. In particular, the type of this cancer is linked to lifestyle and environmental factors such as: diet, obesity, physical activity, alcohol and tobacco, oral contraceptives and other medications, family history.

The treatment approach to colon cancer depends on the location and stage of the cancer, as well as the general health and dietary preferences of the patient. The earlier it is diagnosed, the more effective its removal. The main goal of any therapeutic approach is the patient's quality of life combined with the effectiveness of the treatment. Quality of Life (QoL) refers to various dimensions of a person's daily life, such as their functionality, their well-being as well as the general perception of their health at a physical, psychological and social level. Its assessment, however, becomes difficult because it depends on the beliefs and perceptions of the individual as well as on the personal assessment of his situation. Therefore, the individual's quality of life can be defined as the perception of his position in the society he belongs to and also of the value system of this society, in combination with his goals and expectations.

Keywords: Quality of life, colon cancer, treatment