J Caring Sci. 2025 Sep 8;14(3):173-181. doi: 10.34172/jcs.025.33640. eCollection 2025 Sep.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer (CRC), as a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide, often requires surgical interventions such as colostomy, which can substantially affect patients’ health-related quality of life. The presence of a colostomy adversely affects deferent aspects of patient’s life. The aim of this study is to compare the health-related quality of life in patients with and without a colostomy.
METHODS: In this comparative cross-sectional study, 256 patients with CRC were included through convenience sampling, comprising 127 patients with a colostomy (49.6%) and 129 without a colostomy (50.4%). The data collection tools included the demographic information form and the shortened form of the health-related quality of life questionnaire (SF-36). Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 13, including descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, general linear modeling, and multiple regression analyses. Results: In this study, the health-related quality of life score (range: 0-100) was 43.03±17.08 in patients with a colostomy and 51.38±15.57 in those without a colostomy. Also, there was a statistically significant difference in physical functioning, role limitation due to physical health, role limitation due to emotional problems and health-related quality of life in people with and without colostomies (P<0.05). Finally, in sex stratified exploratory analyses, differences were evident among women but not among men.
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that patients with CRC, particularly those with a colostomy, experience significantly lower health-related quality of life. The findings emphasize the importance of early and targeted interventions to improve physical and psychosocial well-being in this population. Greater attention should be given to the needs of patients with colostomy in both hospital and community care settings to enhance their overall quality of life.
PMID:41200699 | PMC:PMC12586898 | DOI:10.34172/jcs.025.33640
