The aim of this study is to assess the quality of life of patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) by evaluating their physical and psychological well-being as well as their social and spiritual functioning. The 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and quality of life core 30 (QLQ-C30) questionnaires were used to measure the quality of life of people receiving checkpoint inhibitors. An attempt was also made to make a rough estimate of the cost of checkpoint inhibitors in selected cases. The present study was conducted at the Oncology Day Hospital of the General University Hospital of Patras and the sample consisted of 100 subjects. The results of the two questionnaires show that the subjective evaluation of the patient's quality of life is satisfactory and functional since most of the respondents evaluate their quality of life as good to very good. Regarding the duration of immunotherapy, their health status seems to have improved, as 49% of respondents report having no pain, while the QLQ-C30 shows that 93% of patients have no problems with personal hygiene. Important determinants related to the limitation of work and daily activities were influenced by patients' age and marital status. Finally, age, monthly income, and education level seem to exert a general influence on a person's physical condition.
Keywords: cancer immunotherapy; cancer patients; cost effective therapy; health care outcomes; quality of life (qol).
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