Sociocultural factors affecting health-related quality of life in patients with Cirrhosis-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): A psychosocial perspective
Abstract
Background: cirrhosis-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant health burden worldwide, with psychological distress and diminished quality of life being common consequences of this diagnosis. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a crucial aspect of patient care, and sociocultural factors can influence HRQoL outcomes by impacting coping mechanisms, social support, and mental health. However, there is a lack of research on the impact of sociocultural factors on HRQoL in patients with cirrhosis-related HCC. Therefore, we conducted this retrospective study to investigate the relationship between sociocultural factors and HRQoL in patients with cirrhosis-related HCC. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 200 patients with cirrhosis-related HCC at a tertiary healthcare facility between May 2020 and June 2024. We collected data on HRQoL using standardized questionnaires, including the EORTC QLQ-C30, to assess the impact of psychological distress on HRQoL. We performed regression and correlation analyses to investigate the association between sociocultural factors and HRQoL. Results: We found that level of education was linked to physical well-being, occupation was linked to emotional well-being, marital status was linked to social well-being, family support was linked to role functioning, and cultural background was linked to cognitive functioning. Our analysis revealed that these social and cultural factors were all important predictors of quality of life. Conclusion: Our study provides evidence that psychosocial and cultural factors play a significant role in shaping HRQoL in patients with cirrhosis-related HCC, highlighting the need for comprehensive care that addresses the psychological and social needs of patients. We found that education level, occupation, marital status, family support, and cultural background were all significant predictors of HRQoL scores. These findings underscore the importance of integrating psycho-oncological care into the management of cirrhosis-related HCC to improve HRQoL outcomes.
Copyright (c) 2025 Lingjun Zhou, Aiwu Shen, Wenjie Huang, Yan Wu, Yanjun Huang
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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