Associations Between Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A Pilot Survey

The primary aim of this shady was to examine the association between physical, activity and duality of life (QoL) in cancer patients receiving palliative care. Fifty advanced, cancer patients aged 18 years or older with clinician-estimated life expectancy of 3-12 months and Palliative Performance Status Scale scores greater than 30% were recruited front, an outpatient palliative care clinic and palliative home care. Participants completed a, cross-sectional survey by means of face-to face interview assessing self-reported QoL (McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire [MQOL]), self reported physical function (Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument), symptoms (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System), and physical, activity behavior Seventy-six percent (38 of 50) of the participants were deceased at lire time of data analysis, with a median, survival of 104 clays from, time of survey to time of death. Walking was the most common reported physical, activity. Analyses of variance indicated that participants who reported walking more than 30,minutes per day also reported higher existential, subscores (+/- 0.8 [95 % CI, 0.0-1.5]; P = 0.045), support, subscores (+/- 0.7 [95 % Cl, 0.1-1.4]; P = 0.027), and total scores (+/- 0.5 [95 % Cl, 0.0-0.9]; P = 0.046) on the MQOL. There were no significant differences for self-reported physical function or symptoms. Our findings show a significant positive association between, physical activity and QoL scores in this sample of patients with advanced. cancer. A pilot intervention trial testing the causal, effects of physical activity on QoL in cancer patients receiving palliative rare is warranted. J Pain Symptom Manage (C) 2009;38:785-796. 2009 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published, by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.