Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer (CRC), as a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide, often requires surgical interventions such as colostomy, which can substantially affect patients' health-related quality of life. The presence of a colostomy adversely affects deferent aspects of patient's life. The aim of this study is to compare the health-related quality of life in patients with and without a colostomy. METHODS: In this comparative cross-sectional study, 256 patients with CRC were included through convenience sampling, comprising 127 patients with a colostomy (49.6%) and 129 without a colostomy (50.4%). The data collection tools included the demographic information form and the shortened form of the health-related quality of life questionnaire (SF-36). Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 13, including descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, general linear modeling, and multiple regression analyses. Results: In this study, the health-related quality of life score (range: 0-100) was 43.03±17.08 in patients with a colostomy and 51.38±15.57 in those without a colostomy. Also, there was a statistically significant difference in physical functioning, role limitation due to physical health, role limitation due to emotional problems and health-related quality of life in people with and without colostomies (P<0.05). Finally, in sex stratified exploratory analyses, differences were evident among women but not among men. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that patients with CRC, particularly those with a colostomy, experience significantly lower health-related quality of life. The findings emphasize the importance of early and targeted interventions to improve physical and psychosocial well-being in this population. Greater attention should be given to the needs of patients with colostomy in both hospital and community care settings to enhance their overall quality of life.