A series of therapy sessions designed to address all aspects of cancer patients' lives, from physical fitness to spiritual well-being, can help maintain and improve their quality of life.
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota found that people undergoing cancer treatment experience a decline in quality of life. Interventions designed to help maintain these patients' well-being may include education on cancer, coping strategies, and emotional support, but they usually only address one or two aspects of quality of life.
The researchers developed a program designed to target all five domains or aspects of quality of life - cognitive, physical, emotional, spiritual, and social functioning. To test, they assigned 103 patients with advanced cancer undergoing radiation therapy to receive the intervention or to a control group given standard medical care.
Comments
Comments are closed.