Quality of Life in Patients with Hematological Malignancy Receiving High-Dose Chemotherapy : A Descriptive Study

Introduction: Hematological malignancies reduce quality of life due to aggressive treatments and related complications. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life of hematologic cancer patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 158 patients selected by simple random sampling method who were treated in the hematology clinic of a university hospital. Data were collected using a personal information form and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30. Results: 51.3% of the patients were aged 18 - 50 years, 52.5% were female, and 67.1% had a diagnosis of leukemia. The mean scores of the quality of life scale were 74.47 ± 19.92 for the functional scale, 71.31 ± 19.31 for the symptom scale, and 39.82 ± 26.31 for the global quality of life. These findings indicate that patients had relatively good functional status, high symptom burden, and low overall quality of life. Among the functional subscales, the highest mean score was observed in cognitive functioning (85.7 ± 18.8), while the lowest was in social functioning (68.9 ± 32.5). Patients diagnosed with lymphoma had significantly lower functional scale scores (p = 0.002), whereas patients with leukemia and those with a history of chemotherapy had significantly higher symptom scale scores (p = 0.017 and p = 0.026, respectively). Conclusion: In conclusion, it was determined that patients had a low quality of life, particularly in the areas of physical and social functioning, and a high symptom burden. Higher symptoms in patients with leukemia and prior chemotherapy underscore the need for symptom control and functional assessment.