Impact of pain on the quality of life of advanced cancer patients in a palliative care setup in Bangladesh

Pain plays a central role in determining the health-related quality of life of cancer patients, particularly in advanced stages. Globally, 35% to 96% of advanced cancer patients experience pain in the terminal phase, but evidence from low-resource settings is limited. To evaluate the impact of pain on the quality of life of advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care in a resource-limited palliative care setting in Bangladesh. This observational study was conducted among 85 advanced-stage cancer patients admitted to a tertiary palliative care unit in Bangladesh. Pain was assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory, and quality of life (QOL) was evaluated using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (version 4). Baseline and day-7 scores were compared using paired t tests. Correlation analyses and analysis of variance were performed to examine associations between pain reduction and QOL domains. A significant reduction in both pain severity (from 7.05 ± 1.56 to 2.72 ± 1.84, P < .001) and pain interference was observed. This was accompanied by a marked improvement in overall QOL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General score increased from 48.39 ± 9.33-60.53 ± 11.53, P < .001). Reductions in pain strongly correlated with improvements in physical (r = -0.371) and social well-being (r = -0.482), but emotional and functional well-being showed limited improvement. Effective pain control substantially improves quality of life in advanced cancer patients even within a constrained healthcare setting. This study provides novel evidence from a low-income South Asian context and underscores the importance of integrating psychosocial care alongside pharmacological pain management.