Impact of bowel function, anxiety and depression on quality of life in patients with sphincter-preserving resection for rectal cancer

Abstract

Purpose: This study was a descriptive survey research to identify the impact of bowel function, anxiety and depression on quality of life in patients with rectal cancer who had a sphincter-preserving resection. Methods: Participants were 100 patients who had rectal cancer surgery at W hospital in Korea. Bowel function, anxiety & depression, and quality of life were measured using the BFI (Bowel Function Instrument), HADS (Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale) and the FACT-C (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal). Results: The mean scores were 39.81±5.16 for bowel function, 6.15±3.25 for anxiety, 7.24±3.13 for depression, and 72.50±13.27 for quality of life. There were significant negative correlations between quality of life and anxiety (r= -.59, p