Impact of colorectal cancer on patient and family: implications for care

Abstract

The quality of life of a colorectal cancer patient and his family is deeply modified when faced with this diagnosis as a result of physical and psychological changes induced by it. The aim of this study was to identify and assess the impact of colorectal cancer patients and their families. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study and the sample consisted of 153 patients and 96 informal caregivers. In terms of quality of life, those patients who had a stoma reported lower overall quality of life, lower body image, poorer health related quality of life and poor social activity when compared with colorectal cancer patients who had no stoma. The stoma patients also had significantly higher depression and anxiety level were related to the caregivers' burden. The caregivers of stoma patients had more depression and anxiety when compared with the caregivers of non-stoma patients. To sum up, it seems unquestionable that the presence of a stoma significantly alters the patients' quality of life, psychological morbidity, sexuality and body image. The stoma patients' caregivers also suffer from high levels of anxiety and depression.