Research Article
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Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the quality of life of oncology patıents

Year 2024, Volume: 15 Issue: 2, 287 - 296, 01.07.2024
https://doi.org/10.18663/tjcl.1460996

Abstract

Aim: COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life. With this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of the pandemic on the quality of life (QOL) of oncology patients.
Material and Methods: This study was conducted on 220 outpatients and inpatients of medical oncology clinics of Gazi University Hospital, through face-to-face interviews in the period between August 2020 and February 2021. Data were collected with the WHOQOL Scale and the original questionnaire.
Results: Being younger, being in a higher level of education, living in metropolitan cities, and having a higher salary; increased the patients' QOL. The physical subscale scores (SS) were found to be significantly lower in those who needed surgery, chemotherapy, and hospitalization (p<0.05). The social SS of those who continued their working life and the environmental SS of those whose care support was not affected were found to be significantly higher (p<0.05). The physical and psychological SS of those who did not think that COVID-19 "negatively affects the course of the disease" was significantly higher (p<0.05). The physical SS of those who experienced the anxiety of being infected with COVID-19 at a “moderate” level was found to be significantly lower (p<0.05). The physical and psychological SS of "outpatient" oncology patients were found to be significantly higher (p<0.05). The physical, psychological, social, and environmental SS of oncology patients with other chronic diseases were significantly lower (p<0.05). Any of the SS of the WHOQOL Scale did not show a significant difference according to gender, marital status, and employment status (p>0.05).
Conclusıon: As the pandemic still continues, besides medical care, more intense psychological and social support should be provided to oncology patients.

References

  • WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard (2023) Available from: https://covid19.who.int/ Accessed 3/4/2023
  • Alvarez F.E., Argente D., Lippi F (2020) A simple planning problem for COVID-19 lockdown. Working Paper 26981, National Bureau of Economic Research.
  • Farboodi M., Jarosch G., Shimer R (2020) Internal and external effects of social distancing in a pandemic, working paper no. 27059. Natl. Bureau Econ. Res.
  • Zhou F, Yu T, Du R, Fan G, Liu Y, Liu Z, et al (2020) Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet 28;395(10229):1054-1062. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30566-3
  • Wang Q, Berger NA, Xu R (2021) Analyses of Risk, Racial Disparity, and Outcomes Among US Patients With Cancer and COVID-19 Infection. JAMA Oncol 1;7(2):220-227. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.6178
  • Moll M, Zon RL, Sylvester KW, Chen EC, Cheng V, Connell NT, et al (2020) VTE in ICU Patients With COVID-19. Chest 158(5):2130-2135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2020.07.031
  • Miyashita H, Mikami T, Chopra N, Yamada T, Chernyavsky S, Rizk D, et al (2020) Do patients with cancer have a poorer prognosis of COVID-19? An experience in New York City. Ann Oncol 31(8):1088-1089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annonc.2020.04.006
  • Rocco, G., Rossi, G., La Manna, G., & Incalzi, R. A. (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of cancer patients in Italy. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(7), 2025. doi:10.3390/jcm9072025
  • Sud, A., Jones, M. E., Broggio, J., Loveday, C., Torr, B., Garrett, A., ... & Turnbull, C. (2020). Collateral damage: the impact on outcomes from cancer surgery of the COVID-19 pandemic. Annals of Oncology, 31(8), 1065-1074. doi:10.1016/j.annonc.2020.05.009
  • Schumacher, O., Klemm, P., Kötting, J., Haase, R., & Koehler, M. (2020). Physical activity behavior in cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Oncology, 10, 594556. doi:10.3389/fonc.2020.01594
  • Miaskowski, C., Paul, S. M., Snowberg, K., Abbott, M., Borno, H., Chang, S., ... & Van Blarigan, E. L. (2020). Stress and symptom burden in oncology patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Oncology, 6(12), 1932-1939. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.6375
  • Wang, Y., Duan, Z., Ma, Z., Mao, Y., Li, X., Wilson, A., ... & Chen, R. (2020). Epidemiology of mental health problems among patients with cancer during COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(6), 464-465. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30243-3
  • Souza, J. A., Hunt, B., Asirwa, F. C., Adebamowo, C., & Lopes, G. (2020). Global health equity in cancer. The Lancet Oncology, 21(7), 885-886. doi:10.1016/S1470- 2045(20)30388-4
  • Pramesh, C. S., Badwe, R. A., & Sinha, R. K. (2020). Cancer care in India during the COVID-19 pandemic: a perspective. *Nature Reviews Cancer*, 20(10), 524-524. doi:10.1038/s41571-020-00460-8
  • Koinig KA, Arnold C, Lehmann J, Giesinger J, Köck S, Willenbacher W, et al (2021) The cancer patient's perspective of COVID-19-induced distress-A cross-sectional study and a longitudinal comparison of HRQOL assessed before and during the pandemic. Cancer Med 10(12):3928-3937. https://doi.org/
  • WHOQOL (2023) Measuring Quality of Life. Available from: https://www.who.int/tools/whoqol/whoqol-bref/docs/default-source/publishing-policies/whoqol-bref/turkish-whoqol-bref Accessed 1/4/2023
  • Mihic-Góngora L, Rodriguez-Gonzalez A, Velasco V, Obispo B, Jiménez-Fonseca P, Calderon C (2022) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on care and psychological impact on cancer patients. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care 16(3):138-143. https://doi.org/10.1097/SPC.0000000000000614
  • Kılıçkap, S (2009) Evaluation of association between clinicopathologic characteristics of the disease and quality of life in cancer patients. Cancer Epidemiology Program Master Thesis, Hacettepe University Health Sciences Institute.
  • Ahmad Malik J, Ahmed S, Shinde M, Almermesh MHS, Alghamdi S, Hussain A, et al (2022) The Impact of COVID-19 On Comorbidities: A Review Of Recent Updates For Combating It. Saudi J Biol Sci 29(5):3586-3599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2022.02.006
  • Pathania AS, Prathipati P, Abdul BA, Chava S, Katta SS, Gupta SC, et al (2021) COVID-19 and Cancer Comorbidity: Therapeutic Opportunities and Challenges. Theranostics 11(2):731-753. https://doi.org/10.7150/thno.51471
  • Kirby A, Drummond FJ, Lawlor A, Murphy A (2022) Counting the social, psychological, and economic costs of COVID-19 for cancer patients. Support Care Cancer 30(11):8705-8731. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-022-07178-0
  • Leigh-Hunt N, Bagguley D, Bash K, Turner V, Turnbull S, Valtorta N, Caan W (2017) An overview of systematic reviews on the public health consequences of social isolation and loneliness. Public Health 152:157-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2017.07.035
  • Karacin C, Eren T, Zeynelgil E, et al (2021) Immunogenicity and safety of the CoronaVac vaccine in patients with cancer receiving active systemic therapy. Future Oncol 17(33):4447-4456. https://doi.org/10.2217/fon-2021-0597
  • Özdemir N, Dizdar Ö, Yazıcı O, Aksoy S, Dede DS, Budakoğlu B, et al (2020) Clinical features and outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with solid tumors: Turkish National Registry Data. Int J Cancer https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33426
  • Ligumsky H, Safadi E, Etan T, Vaknin N, Waller M, Croll A, et al (2021) Immunogenicity and Safety of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Among Actively Treated Cancer Patients. J Natl Cancer Inst. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djab174
  • Zhang H, Han H, He T, et al (2020) Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19-infected cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst djaa168. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djaa168
  • Ben Mustapha S, Simoni P, Dubois N, Jansen N, Lakosi F, Silva Mota A, et al (2022) The COVID-19 Status of Patients Is an Essential Determinant for Decision-Making by Radiation Oncologists: A European Survey. Cureus 14(3):e22842. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.22842
  • Lewis MA (2020) Between Scylla and Charybdis - Oncologic Decision Making in the Time of Covid-19. N Engl J Med 382(24):2285-2287. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2006588
  • Mullangi S, Aviki EM, Chen Y, Robson M, Hershman DL (2022) Factors Associated With Cancer Treatment Delay Among Patients Diagnosed With COVID-19. JAMA Netw Open 5(7):e2224296. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.24296
  • Yu J, Ouyang W, Chua MLK, Xie C (2020) SARS-CoV-2 transmission in patients with cancer at a tertiary care hospital in Wuhan. China JAMA Oncol 6(7):1108–1110. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.0980
  • Infection prevention and control in the context of coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a living guideline, 13 January 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-ipc-guideline-2023.1 Accessed 7/4/2023
  • Momenimovahed Z, Salehiniya H, Hadavandsiri F, Allahqoli L, Günther V, Alkatout I (2021) Psychological Distress Among Cancer Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic in the World: A Systematic Review. Front Psychol 12:682154. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682154

Covid-19 pandemisinin onkoloji hastalarinin yaşam kalitesine etkileri

Year 2024, Volume: 15 Issue: 2, 287 - 296, 01.07.2024
https://doi.org/10.18663/tjcl.1460996

Abstract

Amaç: COVID-19 pandemisi yaşamın tüm yönlerini etkilemiştir. Bu çalışma ile pandemi sürecinin onkoloji hastalarının yaşam kalitesi (QOL) üzerindeki etkilerini değerlendirmeyi amaçladık.
Gereç ve Yöntemler: Bu çalışma, Ağustos 2020 ile Şubat 2021 arasında Gazi Üniversitesi Hastanesi'nin tıbbi onkoloji kliniklerinde yüz yüze görüşmeler yoluyla 220 ayakta ve yatan hasta üzerinden gerçekleştirilmiş ve araştırma verilerine, WHOQOL Ölçeği ve özgün bir anket ile ulaşılmıştır.
Bulgular: Daha genç yaşta olmak, daha yüksek eğitim seviyesine sahip olmak, metropol şehirlerde yaşamak ve daha yüksek ekonomik gelire sahip olmak, hastaların yaşam kalitesini olumlu etkileyen değişkenler arasında yerini almıştır. Fiziksel alt ölçek skorları (SS), cerrahiye, kemoterapiye ve hastaneye yatmaya ihtiyaç duyanlarda anlamlı derecede düşük bulunmuştur (p<0.05). Çalışma hayatına devam edenlerin ile sosyal SS ve bakım desteği etkilenmeyenlerin çevresel alt başlıktaki yaşam kalitesi SS anlamlı derecede yüksek bulunmuştur (p<0.05). COVID-19'un "hastalığın seyrini olumsuz etkilediğini" düşünmeyenlerin oranı fiziksel ve psikolojik SS anlamlı derecede yüksek bulunmuştur (p<0.05). COVID-19'a "orta" düzeyde enfekte olma endişesi yaşayanların fiziksel SS anlamlı derecede düşük olmuştur (p<0.05). "Ayakta tedavi gören" onkoloji hastalarının fiziksel ve psikolojik SS anlamlı derecede yüksek çıkmıştır (p<0.05). Diğer kronik hastalıklara sahip onkoloji hastalarının fiziksel, psikolojik, sosyal ve çevresel SS anlamlı derecede düşük bulunmuştur(p<0.05). WHOQOL Ölçeği'nin herhangi bir SS, cinsiyet, medeni durum ve istihdam durumuna göre anlamlı bir fark göstermediği anlaşılmıştır (p>0.05).
Sonuç: Pandemi süreci halen devam ettiği için, tıbbi bakımın yanı sıra onkoloji hastalarına daha yoğun psikolojik ve sosyal destek sağlanmalıdır.

Ethical Statement

Saha araştırmasına dayalı bilimsel çalışmamızın Gazi Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesinden Etik Kurul onayı vardır.

Thanks

Bilimsel çalışmalara gösterdiğiniz ilgiden dolayı teşekkür ederim.

References

  • WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard (2023) Available from: https://covid19.who.int/ Accessed 3/4/2023
  • Alvarez F.E., Argente D., Lippi F (2020) A simple planning problem for COVID-19 lockdown. Working Paper 26981, National Bureau of Economic Research.
  • Farboodi M., Jarosch G., Shimer R (2020) Internal and external effects of social distancing in a pandemic, working paper no. 27059. Natl. Bureau Econ. Res.
  • Zhou F, Yu T, Du R, Fan G, Liu Y, Liu Z, et al (2020) Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet 28;395(10229):1054-1062. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30566-3
  • Wang Q, Berger NA, Xu R (2021) Analyses of Risk, Racial Disparity, and Outcomes Among US Patients With Cancer and COVID-19 Infection. JAMA Oncol 1;7(2):220-227. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.6178
  • Moll M, Zon RL, Sylvester KW, Chen EC, Cheng V, Connell NT, et al (2020) VTE in ICU Patients With COVID-19. Chest 158(5):2130-2135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2020.07.031
  • Miyashita H, Mikami T, Chopra N, Yamada T, Chernyavsky S, Rizk D, et al (2020) Do patients with cancer have a poorer prognosis of COVID-19? An experience in New York City. Ann Oncol 31(8):1088-1089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annonc.2020.04.006
  • Rocco, G., Rossi, G., La Manna, G., & Incalzi, R. A. (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of cancer patients in Italy. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(7), 2025. doi:10.3390/jcm9072025
  • Sud, A., Jones, M. E., Broggio, J., Loveday, C., Torr, B., Garrett, A., ... & Turnbull, C. (2020). Collateral damage: the impact on outcomes from cancer surgery of the COVID-19 pandemic. Annals of Oncology, 31(8), 1065-1074. doi:10.1016/j.annonc.2020.05.009
  • Schumacher, O., Klemm, P., Kötting, J., Haase, R., & Koehler, M. (2020). Physical activity behavior in cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Oncology, 10, 594556. doi:10.3389/fonc.2020.01594
  • Miaskowski, C., Paul, S. M., Snowberg, K., Abbott, M., Borno, H., Chang, S., ... & Van Blarigan, E. L. (2020). Stress and symptom burden in oncology patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Oncology, 6(12), 1932-1939. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.6375
  • Wang, Y., Duan, Z., Ma, Z., Mao, Y., Li, X., Wilson, A., ... & Chen, R. (2020). Epidemiology of mental health problems among patients with cancer during COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(6), 464-465. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30243-3
  • Souza, J. A., Hunt, B., Asirwa, F. C., Adebamowo, C., & Lopes, G. (2020). Global health equity in cancer. The Lancet Oncology, 21(7), 885-886. doi:10.1016/S1470- 2045(20)30388-4
  • Pramesh, C. S., Badwe, R. A., & Sinha, R. K. (2020). Cancer care in India during the COVID-19 pandemic: a perspective. *Nature Reviews Cancer*, 20(10), 524-524. doi:10.1038/s41571-020-00460-8
  • Koinig KA, Arnold C, Lehmann J, Giesinger J, Köck S, Willenbacher W, et al (2021) The cancer patient's perspective of COVID-19-induced distress-A cross-sectional study and a longitudinal comparison of HRQOL assessed before and during the pandemic. Cancer Med 10(12):3928-3937. https://doi.org/
  • WHOQOL (2023) Measuring Quality of Life. Available from: https://www.who.int/tools/whoqol/whoqol-bref/docs/default-source/publishing-policies/whoqol-bref/turkish-whoqol-bref Accessed 1/4/2023
  • Mihic-Góngora L, Rodriguez-Gonzalez A, Velasco V, Obispo B, Jiménez-Fonseca P, Calderon C (2022) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on care and psychological impact on cancer patients. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care 16(3):138-143. https://doi.org/10.1097/SPC.0000000000000614
  • Kılıçkap, S (2009) Evaluation of association between clinicopathologic characteristics of the disease and quality of life in cancer patients. Cancer Epidemiology Program Master Thesis, Hacettepe University Health Sciences Institute.
  • Ahmad Malik J, Ahmed S, Shinde M, Almermesh MHS, Alghamdi S, Hussain A, et al (2022) The Impact of COVID-19 On Comorbidities: A Review Of Recent Updates For Combating It. Saudi J Biol Sci 29(5):3586-3599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2022.02.006
  • Pathania AS, Prathipati P, Abdul BA, Chava S, Katta SS, Gupta SC, et al (2021) COVID-19 and Cancer Comorbidity: Therapeutic Opportunities and Challenges. Theranostics 11(2):731-753. https://doi.org/10.7150/thno.51471
  • Kirby A, Drummond FJ, Lawlor A, Murphy A (2022) Counting the social, psychological, and economic costs of COVID-19 for cancer patients. Support Care Cancer 30(11):8705-8731. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-022-07178-0
  • Leigh-Hunt N, Bagguley D, Bash K, Turner V, Turnbull S, Valtorta N, Caan W (2017) An overview of systematic reviews on the public health consequences of social isolation and loneliness. Public Health 152:157-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2017.07.035
  • Karacin C, Eren T, Zeynelgil E, et al (2021) Immunogenicity and safety of the CoronaVac vaccine in patients with cancer receiving active systemic therapy. Future Oncol 17(33):4447-4456. https://doi.org/10.2217/fon-2021-0597
  • Özdemir N, Dizdar Ö, Yazıcı O, Aksoy S, Dede DS, Budakoğlu B, et al (2020) Clinical features and outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with solid tumors: Turkish National Registry Data. Int J Cancer https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33426
  • Ligumsky H, Safadi E, Etan T, Vaknin N, Waller M, Croll A, et al (2021) Immunogenicity and Safety of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Among Actively Treated Cancer Patients. J Natl Cancer Inst. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djab174
  • Zhang H, Han H, He T, et al (2020) Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19-infected cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst djaa168. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djaa168
  • Ben Mustapha S, Simoni P, Dubois N, Jansen N, Lakosi F, Silva Mota A, et al (2022) The COVID-19 Status of Patients Is an Essential Determinant for Decision-Making by Radiation Oncologists: A European Survey. Cureus 14(3):e22842. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.22842
  • Lewis MA (2020) Between Scylla and Charybdis - Oncologic Decision Making in the Time of Covid-19. N Engl J Med 382(24):2285-2287. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2006588
  • Mullangi S, Aviki EM, Chen Y, Robson M, Hershman DL (2022) Factors Associated With Cancer Treatment Delay Among Patients Diagnosed With COVID-19. JAMA Netw Open 5(7):e2224296. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.24296
  • Yu J, Ouyang W, Chua MLK, Xie C (2020) SARS-CoV-2 transmission in patients with cancer at a tertiary care hospital in Wuhan. China JAMA Oncol 6(7):1108–1110. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.0980
  • Infection prevention and control in the context of coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a living guideline, 13 January 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-ipc-guideline-2023.1 Accessed 7/4/2023
  • Momenimovahed Z, Salehiniya H, Hadavandsiri F, Allahqoli L, Günther V, Alkatout I (2021) Psychological Distress Among Cancer Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic in the World: A Systematic Review. Front Psychol 12:682154. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682154
There are 32 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Oncology
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

İsmail Akgül 0000-0002-0592-2130

Özlem Yurtal 0000-0003-0939-1581

Yeşim Yıldız 0000-0003-3006-4112

Bülent Çelik 0000-0002-0481-4808

Oktay Ünsal 0000-0002-3215-8457

Hamid Habibi 0000-0003-3981-2850

Ahmet Özet 0000-0001-8731-9636

Publication Date July 1, 2024
Submission Date March 29, 2024
Acceptance Date June 29, 2024
Published in Issue Year 2024 Volume: 15 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Akgül, İ., Yurtal, Ö., Yıldız, Y., Çelik, B., et al. (2024). Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the quality of life of oncology patıents. Turkish Journal of Clinics and Laboratory, 15(2), 287-296. https://doi.org/10.18663/tjcl.1460996
AMA Akgül İ, Yurtal Ö, Yıldız Y, Çelik B, Ünsal O, Habibi H, Özet A. Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the quality of life of oncology patıents. TJCL. July 2024;15(2):287-296. doi:10.18663/tjcl.1460996
Chicago Akgül, İsmail, Özlem Yurtal, Yeşim Yıldız, Bülent Çelik, Oktay Ünsal, Hamid Habibi, and Ahmet Özet. “Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Quality of Life of Oncology patıents”. Turkish Journal of Clinics and Laboratory 15, no. 2 (July 2024): 287-96. https://doi.org/10.18663/tjcl.1460996.
EndNote Akgül İ, Yurtal Ö, Yıldız Y, Çelik B, Ünsal O, Habibi H, Özet A (July 1, 2024) Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the quality of life of oncology patıents. Turkish Journal of Clinics and Laboratory 15 2 287–296.
IEEE İ. Akgül, “Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the quality of life of oncology patıents”, TJCL, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 287–296, 2024, doi: 10.18663/tjcl.1460996.
ISNAD Akgül, İsmail et al. “Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Quality of Life of Oncology patıents”. Turkish Journal of Clinics and Laboratory 15/2 (July 2024), 287-296. https://doi.org/10.18663/tjcl.1460996.
JAMA Akgül İ, Yurtal Ö, Yıldız Y, Çelik B, Ünsal O, Habibi H, Özet A. Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the quality of life of oncology patıents. TJCL. 2024;15:287–296.
MLA Akgül, İsmail et al. “Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Quality of Life of Oncology patıents”. Turkish Journal of Clinics and Laboratory, vol. 15, no. 2, 2024, pp. 287-96, doi:10.18663/tjcl.1460996.
Vancouver Akgül İ, Yurtal Ö, Yıldız Y, Çelik B, Ünsal O, Habibi H, Özet A. Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the quality of life of oncology patıents. TJCL. 2024;15(2):287-96.


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