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Gender impact on quality of life in colorectal cancer survivors

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Apr 11, 2025

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Figure 1.

Mean scores between males and females in the standardized quality of life questionnaires of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) named EORTC QLQ-30.
Mean scores between males and females in the standardized quality of life questionnaires of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) named EORTC QLQ-30.

Figure 2.

Mean scores between males and females in the EORTC QLQ CR29 questionnaire.
CR29 = colorectal cancer 29; EORTC = European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer; QLQ = quality of life questionnaire
Mean scores between males and females in the EORTC QLQ CR29 questionnaire. CR29 = colorectal cancer 29; EORTC = European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer; QLQ = quality of life questionnaire

Socio-demographic and other characteristics of colorectal cancer patients, grouped by gender (n = 239)

Variables Total number (%) Male (%) Female (%)
Gender
  Male 134 (56.1)
  Female 105 (43.9)
Age
  30–39 3 (1.3) 1 (0.7) 2 (1.9)
  40–49 22 (9.2) 7 (5.2) 15 (14.3)
  50–59 46 (19.2) 27 (20.1) 19 (18.1)
  60–69 68 (28.5) 49 (36.6) 19 (18.1)
  70–79 61 (25.5) 28 (20.9) 33 (31.4)
  80–89+ 39 (16.3) 22 (16.4) 17 (16.2)
Education
  Unfinished primary school 8 (3.4) 4 (3.0) 4 (3.8)
  Primary education 43 (18) 16 (11.9) 27 (25.7)
  Secondary education 138 (57.8) 86 (64.2) 52 (49.5)
  Higher education / university degree 43 (18) 25 (18.7) 18 (17.1)
  Master’s degree / Ph.D. 7 (3) 3 (2.2) 4 (3.8)
Marital status
  Divorced 11 (4.7) 8 (6.0) 3 (2.9)
  Married or common-law 167 (70.2) 101 (75.9) 66 (62.9)
  Single 22 (9.2) 15 (11.3) 7 (6.7)
  Widowed 38 (16) 9 (6.8) 29 (27.6)
Primary location
  Colon (C18) or rectosigmoid junction (C19) 114 (47.7) 54 (40.3) 60 (57.1)
  Rectum (C20) 125 (52.3) 80 (59.7) 45 (42.9)
TNM staging
  Stage I 41 (17.2) 21 (15.7) 20 (19.0)
  Stage II 53 (22.2) 21 (15.7) 32 (30.5)
  Stage III 145 (60.7) 92 (68.7) 53 (50.5)
Treatment
  Surgical treatment 92 (38.5) 40 (29.9) 52 (49.5)
  Combination of radiation and surgery 21 (8.9) 13 (9.7) 8 (7.6)
  Combination of radiation, systemic and surgical treatment 96 (40.2) 68 (50.8) 28 (26.7)
  Combination of systemic and surgical treatment 30 (12.6) 13 (9.7) 17 (16.2)

Mean scores with standard deviations, compare differences between two independent groups with Mann-Whitney U-test for all scales of the EORTC QLQ C30 for CRC patients by gender

Total Male Female U p
MS SD MS SD MS SD
Global health status/QoL 68.8 20.1 69.8 20.1 67.4 20.3 6660.5 0.474
Physical functioning 85 18.0 86.4 17.8 83.3 18.2 6075 0.064
Role functioning 82.5 24.7 81.7 26.2 83.5 22.7 7030 0.992
Emotional functioning 86.5 17.1 89.4 14.7 82.8 19.3 5446.5 0.002
Cognitive functioning 90.1 15.3 92.0 11.9 87.6 18.6 6294 0.109
Social functioning 83.9 22.1 84.7 20.8 82.9 23.6 6907 0.791
Fatigue 18.1 20.3 14.3 18.5 23.1 21.4 5179 <0.001
Nausea/vomiting 1.3 5.4 0.4 2.5 2.4 7.5 6449.5 0.007
Pain 13.3 20.6 11.7 19.9 15.2 21.3 6314.5 0.122
Dyspnea 4.2 11.9 3.5 11.1 5.1 12.9 6668.5 0.286
Insomnia 20.8 28.1 16.4 24.4 26.3 31.6 5884.5 0.015
Appetite loss 6.1 15.9 4.2 12.5 8.6 19.1 6398 0.053
Constipation 8.2 17.9 7.0 14.8 9.8 21.1 6802 0.531
Diarrhea 8.6 17.3 8.7 16.3 8.6 18.5 6861.5 0.653
Financial problems 12.1 24.4 11.0 23.8 13.4 25.2 6520.5 0.315

Mean scores with standard deviations, compare differences between two independent groups with Mann-Whitney U-test for all scales of the EORTC QLQ CR29 for CRC patients by gender

Total Male Female U p
MS SD MS SD MS SD
Body image 87.2 21.9 90.0 18.5 83.7 25.3 6094.5 0.047
Anxiety 62.1 27.9 65.9 26.0 57.2 29.5 5979.5 0.029
Weight 83.5 25.5 87.3 22.3 78.7 28.5 5879.5 0.010
Sexual function (men) 35.9 26.6 35.9 26.6
Sexual function (women) 17.2 21.9 17.2 21.9
Urinary frequency 24.6 23.5 25.7 23.6 23.2 23.3 6598 0.394
Blood and mucus in stool 2.9 7.6 2.7 7.4 3.0 7.9 6969 0.835
Stool frequency* 12.0 17.0 13.8 17.8 9.6 15.7 6019.5 0.045
Urinary incontinence 9.5 20.6 8.0 20.1 11.4 21.1 6330.5 0.064
Dysuria 3.9 13.4 5.4 14.8 1.9 11.2 6311.5 0.008
Abdominal pain 10.0 18.1 9.4 17.6 10.8 18.8 6838 0.628
Buttock pain 9.8 19.5 10.4 20.2 8.9 18.6 6789 0.532
Bloated feeling 17.6 22.2 15.7 20.7 20.0 23.8 6407 0.179
Dry mouth 14.5 21.9 14.9 21.1 14.0 23.0 6707.5 0.463
Hair loss 2.7 10.9 1.8 9.5 3.8 12.5 6585 0.073
Taste 5.9 14.1 6.0 13.5 5.7 14.9 6859.5 0.602
Flatulence* 23.8 24.5 22.4 24.1 25.7 25.0 6528 0.293
Faecal incontinence* 13.4 22.8 15.9 24.4 10.3 20.3 6148 0.055
Sore skin* 13.5 23.0 13.9 22.9 13.0 23.3 6844 0.657
Embarrassment* 14.9 26.7 14.6 26.1 15.2 27.5 6792 0.989
Stoma care problems 14.8 26.6 11.4 22.3 20.0 31.9 418 0.321
Impotence 31.2 30.2 31.2 30.2
Dyspareunia 10.9 24.5 10.9 24.5
Language:
English
Publication timeframe:
4 times per year
Journal Subjects:
Medicine, Clinical Medicine, Internal Medicine, Haematology, Oncology, Radiology