COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PAIN-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH LYMPHOMA AND BREAST CANCER

Background: Cancer-related pain remains one of the most distressing and disabling symptoms experienced by patients, significantly compromising quality of life (QoL). It may arise from tumor progression, treatment-related effects, or long-term complications, affecting physical, psychological, and social well-being. Both breast cancer and lymphoma patients commonly report moderate to severe pain, yet the extent to which pain influences QoL may differ between these malignancies due to variations in disease characteristics, treatment modalities, and systemic involvement. Objective: To compare the impact of pain on quality of life among patients with breast cancer and lymphoma, with particular emphasis on differences in pain severity and associated functional outcomes. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in government hospitals of Lahore over a six-month period. A total of 62 patients were enrolled through purposive sampling, including 31 breast cancer and 31 lymphoma patients. Adult patients with stages I–III disease experiencing moderate to severe pain were included. Pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), while quality of life was evaluated using the SF-36 questionnaire. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS, with descriptive statistics and chi-square tests applied to determine associations between pain severity and QoL. Results: The mean age was 55.3 years in lymphoma patients and 52.6 years in breast cancer patients. The mean VAS score was 6.39 ± 1.38 for lymphoma and 6.65 ± 1.54 for breast cancer patients, with an overall mean of 6.52 ± 1.46. Poor and below-average QoL was reported in 58.7% of lymphoma patients and 80.7% of breast cancer patients. A statistically significant association between pain severity and QoL was observed in lymphoma patients (χ² = 12.45, p = 0.048), whereas no significant association was found in breast cancer patients (χ² = 9.83, p = 0.089). Conclusion: Pain demonstrated a differential impact on quality of life across cancer types, with a stronger and significant association observed in lymphoma patients. These findings underscore the need for tailored pain management strategies to improve patient-centered outcomes in oncology care. Keywords: Breast Neoplasms; Lymphoma; Neoplasm Pain; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires; Visual Analog Scale