Assessing the quality of life of Prostate cancer patients at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Background : Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the commonly diagnosed cancers among men and data shows cases of PCa are increasing in Ghana. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (QoL) of PCa patients at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Methods : A hospital-based cross-sectional study was employed and 205 patients with PCa were enrolled in the study. Socio-demographic variables (age, sex, marital status, social support, education, cost of treatment), stage of cancer diagnosis and Depression were used to assess QoL. Depression was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). QoL was measured using the Short Form 8 (S-F 8) standardized QoL tool. Logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with QoL. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 65.26±8.93 years. Almost half of the participants were pensioners (46.83%) and had had graduate level education (75.61%). Almost all the study participants (99%) were enrolled in the National Health Insurance scheme (NHIS), however, 46.80% paid for their treatment expense using monies from their personal savings. Most participants (53.96%) had advanced stage PCa. We also found that 53.17% were depressed and 51.0% of participants had low QoL. The study found that age [aOR=0.13 (CI = 0.03-0.51); p-value = 0.004], stage of cancer [aOR= 0.08(CI=0.01-0.79); p-value = 0.030] and source of financing medical expenses [aOR=3.48 (CI = 1.23-9.85); p-value = 0.019] to be associated with QoL of PCa patients. Patient’s age, cost of treatment, depression and stage of cancer are associated with QoL. Conclusion: A number of factors were associated with quality of life of participants in this study. To mitigate the effects of these factors on quality of life, care for patients must be well-rounded and grounded in the biopsychosocial model of health care. Clinical trial number : Not applicable