Background: The problem of quality of life (QOL) of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) is particularly relevant due to the dynamics of CRC incidence growth. This study aims to assess QOL of patients with CRC in the Republic of Kazakhstan in order to give an idea about the impact of burden on QOL of patients. Methods: A total of 319 patients diagnosed with CRC participated in this one-stage cross-sectional study. The survey was conducted between November 2021 and June 2022 at cancer centers in Kazakhstan. Data were collected using the valid and reliable European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30, version 3.0). Results: The average age of respondents was 59, 23 (SD=10,604) years. The main age group 50-69 years old accounted for 62.1% of the total sample. Among all ill respondents, 153 (48%) were male and 166 (52%) were female. The mean global health status was 59.24 ± 22.62. Two of the five functional scales were below the ≥66.7% threshold, namely, emotional functioning 61.65 (28.04) and social functioning 61.96 (31.84); while scores for the other three were: physical functioning 69.38 (22.06), role functioning 69.69 (26.45), and cognitive functioning 74.60 (25.07). Conclusions: This study gives an indication of good life functioning among our participants on the functional and symptom scales. However, they reported inadequate global health status.

Relevance: GLOBOCAN estimates 1.9 million new cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) and 935,000 deaths from CRC in 2020. CRC accounts for every tenth cancer case or death from cancer. According to the Oncological Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan (RK), in 2019, CRC ranked 5th in incidence and mortality among all cancers. With a survival time of more than five years, one of the main criteria that determine the condition of patients and the effectiveness of treatment is their quality of life (QOL). Understanding QOL parameters is essential to assess the full impact of the disease on an individual, family, and community. The purpose of the study was to analyze the quality-of-life indicators in patients with colorectal cancer and validate a Kazakh variant of the EORTC QLQ-CR-2 questionnaire in RK. Results: The QOL of patients with CRC globally is relatively low in its physical, mental, social, and clinical aspects. The most important factors affecting the QOL are sexual dysfunction, body dissatisfaction in ostomy patients, chronic recurrent diarrhea, symptoms of distress, and high fatigue. The patient’s lifestyle, age, gender, stage of the disease, and psycho-emotional status all affect the QOL of patients with CRC. It should also be noted that CRC survivors who have been physically active report a better QOL than those who were not physically active. Conclusion: The fact that no study has been conducted in the RK for the QOL of patients with CRC necessitates a study to understand the QOL parameters in patients with CRC using the Kazakh version of the EORTC QLQ-CR-2 questionnaire. We plan to conduct such a study in the near future within the framework of grant funding for young scientists IRN AP09058432 KN MES RK and publish the results