Health and disability in patients undergoing treatment with chemotherapy

ABSTRACT Chemotherapy can negatively influence the functional capacity and quality of life of oncology patients. This investigation aims to assess the health and disability of patients undergoing chemotherapy by a cross-sectional study with 117 oncology patients. The Brazilian 36-item version of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) and the Medical Outcomes Study 36- Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were used. Patients were classified according to their age and the tumor location and time of diagnosis. Spearman’s correlation was performed to verify the correlation between health and disability and quality of life. The “life activities” domain was the most impaired whereas “getting along” was the least. No differences were observed according to tumor location. The time of diagnosis and patient’s age did not show homogeneity in the results. Health and disability were little correlated with quality of life and suffered slight impairment. Impairments are unaffected by tumor location, time of diagnosis, and patient’s age, and unrelated to quality of life.