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Objective. Assess the prevalence of distress and quality of lifeof cancer patients over the course of chemotherapy. Method.Longitudinal prospective study addressing 200 patients. TheDistress Thermometer (DT) and Functional Assessment ofChronic Illness Therapy-General (FACT-G), as indicators ofdistress and quality of life, were applied at three points in timeduring chemotherapy: the first day (T1), half way through thetreatment (T2), and last day of medication (T3). Results. Theaverage age was 56.8 years old, and 70% were women whilethe most frequent types of cancer included breast (30%) andhematological (22%) cancers. The number of patients with a highlevel of distress statistically decreased over time (T1=41.5%,T2=8.0% and T3=2.5%); consequently, quality of life scoresimproved (T1=85.6%, T2=90.4% and T3=92.0%). Patientswith moderate to severe distress experienced worse quality of life.Distress, type of cancer and disease stage significantly impactedquality of life. Conclusion. There was a reduction in the timeof impact from the side effects of chemotherapy in the patientsas a consequence of adapting to the diagnosis and treatment.Continuous assessment of the needs of patients is essential toensuring integral and humanized care, contributing to improvedoncological nursing.
