Table 1.
Baseline comparison between groups: sociodemographic and clinical characteristics; blood analyses and QOL-CR 29 and HADS scores.
| Characteristics | Experimental group (n = 9) | Control group (n = 9) |
|---|---|---|
| Age | ||
| Mean; range | 62.2; 38–74 | 56.6; 43–74 |
| Cancer type | ||
| Colon | 8 (88.9%) | 9 (100%) |
| Rectum | 1 (11.1%) | 0 (0%) |
| Tumor staging | ||
| II | 1 (11.1%) | 2 (22.2%) |
| III | 7 (77.8) | 3 (33.3%) |
| IV | 1 (11.1%) | 4 (44.4%) |
| Type of chemotherapy | ||
| FOLFOX | 6 (66.7%) | 6 (66.7%) |
| XELOX | 1 (11.1%) | 2 (22.2%) |
| FOLFIRI | 1 (11.1%) | 0 |
| Capecitabine | 1 (11.1%) | 1 (11.1%) |
| Blood analyses (P value) | (mean cells/ μ L; s.d.) | (mean cells/ μ L; s.d.) |
| WBC (P = 0.400) | 6367.78; 897.55 | 5915.56; 1288.59 |
| ANC (P = 0.864) | 3128.78; 996.25 | 3219; 1199.07 |
| Total lymphocyte (P = 0.736) | 1734.59; 586.98 | 1842.28; 735.77 |
| B cells (P = 0.978) | 170.88; 51.59 | 169.25; 168.91 |
| T cells (P = 0.542) | 1378.95; 540.62 | 1548.76; 613.11 |
| NK cells (P = 0.146) | 184.52; 81.07 | 123.44; 88.46 |
| QOL-Cr 29 and HADS scores (P value) | (mean; s.d.) | (mean; s.d.) |
| Anxiety (P = 0.722) | 14.78; 6.45 | 15.67; 3.53 |
| Depression (P = 0.432) | 16.11; 5.84 | 14.33; 3.12 |
| Urological symptoms (P = 0.632) | 7.67; 1.00 | 7.89; 0.93 |
| Gastrointestinal symptom (P = 0.609) | 7.67; 2.74 | 8.44; 3.54 |
| Defecation symptoms (P = 0.78) | 6.22; 6.05 | 10.67; 3.67 |
| Stoma-related symptoms (P = 0.66) | 2.89; 4.40 | —a |
| Chemo side effects (P = 0.96) | 8.33; 1.93 | 6.67; 2.06 |
| Male sexual function (P = 0.239) | 3.00; 2.59 | 1.56; 2.40 |
| Female sexual function (P = 0.148) | 0.78; 1.20 | 1.78; 1.56 |
| Weight concerns (P = 0.857) | 2.44; 1.24 | 2.56; 1.33 |
| Body image (P = 0.819) | 4.56; 1.42 | 4.78; 2.49 |
| Future concerns (P = 0.398) | 2.89; 1.36 | 3.33; 0.71 |
(S.d., standard deviation; P < 0.05 considered statistically significant; —a, no patients with stoma bag on the control group.)