Quality of life, distress and psychological adjustment in patients with colon cancer

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between distress, psychological adjust-ment, and quality of life in patients with colon cancer.Method: This study employed a cross-sectional design and included 104 colon cancer patients treated at AHEPA Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. The assessment tools used encompassed the Distress Thermometer, MINI-MAC scale, and FACT-C to evaluate distress, psychological adjustment, and quality of life. Statistical analysis, con-ducted in SPSS software, encompassed correlation tests and linear regression to explore the interplay between these variables in colon cancer patients.Results: Correlation tests revealed that patients' quality of life is positively correlated with a fighting spirit (r = 0.719, p < 0.001), cognitive avoidance (r = 0.634, p < 0.001), and fatalism (r = 0.518, p < 0.001), and negatively with helplessness and hopelessness (r =-0.756, p < 0.001), and anxious preoccupation (r =-0.679, p < 0.001). OLS regression findings verified these results partially for a significance level of 5% but indicated no statistically significant effect of cognitive avoidance and fatalism on quality of life, which was further found unaffected by total distress.Conclusions: The intricate links between quality of life, distress, and psychological adjustment in colon cancer patients call for deeper investigation. A personalized approach in psycho-oncology care is essential for comprehensive treatment. These findings highlight the significance of addressing the psychological and emotional needs of colon cancer patients, as observed in the study's results.