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Open Access
CC BY 4.0 · Avicenna J Med 2025; 15(04): 157-164
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1814102
Original Article

Chemotherapy and Quality of Life: An Observational Study of Cancer Patients at the Oncology Unit of Tertiary Care Hospital in Islamabad

Autor*innen

  • Sameen Abbas

    1   Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

  • Kanza Zahid

    2   Department of Medicine, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

  • Bilal Ashraf

    2   Department of Medicine, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

  • Muhammad Asim Ali

    3   Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

  • Muhammad Nouman Asghar 

    4   Faculty of Pharmacy, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan

  • Amna Shahid

    1   Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

  • Kainat Hameed

    1   Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Funding No specific grant was received from any public, commercial, or not-for-profit sector funding agency.
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Abstract

Background

Cancer is a global health challenge, with millions of new cases annually. While improving survival rates, the disease and its treatment, particularly chemotherapy, significantly impact patients' quality of life (QoL) and cause side effects that severely affect patients' physical, emotional, and social well-being. As the number of cancer patients is rising in Pakistan, the health care system still faces multiple issues that may have an impact on patient outcomes and QoL. So, this study aims to assess the QoL of cancer patients before and after chemotherapy at a tertiary care hospital in Islamabad.

Methodology

A prospective cohort study at PIMS, Islamabad, enrolled 184 chemotherapy patients using consecutive sampling techniques. Ethical approvals and informed consent were obtained. Clinical as well as demographic data, together with well-being (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General [FACT-G]), were analyzed using SPSS version 21.

Results

Of 184 patients, 71.9% had hematological malignancies and 28.1% solid tumors. FACT-G scores demonstrated significant domain-specific improvements following chemotherapy, in which physical and functional well-being improved significantly (p = 0.008 and 0.01, respectively), while emotional and social well-being showed modest but nonsignificant changes. Additionally, marked improvements were noted in hematological, renal, and hepatic parameters that directly influence the health-related QoL.

Conclusion

Chemotherapy significantly improved QoL in specific domains, particularly physical and functional well-being, though emotional and social challenges persisted. These findings highlight the need for early detection, comprehensive supportive care, and survivorship programs tailored to the Pakistani context in mitigating these impacts and enhancing patient well-being.

Keywords

cancer - chemotherapy - quality of life - oncology - Pakistan

Authors' Confirmation

It is hereby confirmed that the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors and that there are no other persons who satisfied the criteria for authorship but are not listed. The authors further confirm that the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all authors.


Authors' Contribution

All authors (S.A., K.Z., B.A., M.A.A., M.N.A., A.S., and K.H.) made substantial contributions to the conception and design of the study. S.A., M.A.A., and A.S. made substantial contributions to the acquisition and analysis of data. K.Z. and B.A. were involved in the supervision of the whole process. S.A., A.S., and K.H. drafted the manuscript, and K.Z., B.A., M.A.A., and M.N.A. were involved in critical revision for important intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.


Data Availability Statement

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.


Ethics Statement

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Ethical Review Board and Bio-Ethical Committee (BEC) of Quaid-i-Azam University and PIMS Hospital, Islamabad.




Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
29. Dezember 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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