Quality of Life Assessment in Adolescent Patients with Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Tertiary Cancer Centre in South India

Background: The incidence of neoplasms in the adolescent age group is approximately 22.4 per 10,000 population. Beyond the physical burden of malignancy, psychological and social impairments significantly affect quality of life (QOL) in this vulnerable cohort. Standardized QOL assessment tools such as SF-36 provide a validated framework to quantify these multi-dimensional deficits. The objective is to assess quality of life in adolescent cancer patients using the SF-36 questionnaire and to identify variation in physical, social, and mental well-being across different malignancy subtypes. Material and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents aged 13–18 years attending the Department of Radiation Oncology at RGGGH, Chennai. Of 98 enrolled cases, 35 consented participants completed a semi-structured interview using the SF-36 questionnaire. QOL scores across malignancy types were compared using ANOVA and domain-wise scores were compared using the Friedman test. Results: The mean total SF-36 score was 42.04 ± 10.03 out of 100. Mortality was observed in 31.6% (31/98) of cases, with Bone (5/7) and Hematological (10/28) malignancies bearing the highest mortality burden. QOL scores were similar between CNS and Hematological malignancies (p = 0.165), but were relatively better in other solid malignancies. Role limitation due to physical health (mean 16.43) and role limitation due to emotional problems (mean 22.86) were the most impaired domains (p < 0.001 by Friedman test). Conclusion: Adolescent cancer patients demonstrate substantially impaired QOL, with role limitation domains showing the greatest deficit. Integrated physical and psychosocial rehabilitation strategies are essential to improve QOL in this population.

Keywords: Quality of life; SF-36; adolescent; cancer; malignancy; radiation oncology; psychosocial.