The relationship between individual characteristics and quality of life in patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) at Bali Mandara General Hospital

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most commonly found malignancy in the head and neck. NPC patients generally experience a decrease in quality of life. Currently, assessments of the quality of life of NPC patients and their relationship to individual characteristics are still rarely carried out. This study aims to determine the relationship between individual characteristics and the quality of life of NPC patients at Bali Mandara General Hospital. Methods: This research is analytical observational with a cross sectional design conducted at Bali Mandara General Hospital in February - April 2024. The independent variables were age, gender, body surface area (BSA), stage, and type of treatment. Meanwhile, the dependent variable is the quality of life, which was assessed by the FACT-G questionnaire. It consists of physical, social/family, emotional, and functional well-being. Data analysis was done using SPSS 27 software. The data normality test was carried out by the Shapiro-Wilk test followed by the chi-square test. The relationship between the variables is significant if the value is ≤0.05. Results: A total of 16 patients were involved in this study with an age range of 32-68 years and were dominated by men (70.6%) and stage > III (64.7%). The FACT-G score has a result range of 58-101, with the highest domain obtained in social/family well-being. It was found that BSA (p=0.006) and stage (p=0.018) had a significant relationship with the quality of life of NPC patients. Meanwhile, other individual profiles such as age (p=0.424), gender (p=0.551), and type of treatment (p=0.302) did not have a significant impact on the patient's quality of life. Conclusion: BSA and disease stage were related to the quality of life of NPC patients. Identifying factors influencing the patient's quality of life will provide further considerations regarding NPC management.