Evaluation of health-related quality of life in patients with breast cancer

Rugilė Ivanauskienė,Žilvinas Padaiga,Rima Kregždytė

doi:10.3390/medicina46050050

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, comprising about 23% of all cancer types. About 1300 new cases of breast cancer are registered in Lithuania annually. During the last decade, health-related quality of life has become an important part of breast cancer treatment. Pain, fatigue, and sleep disorders are important aspects of health-related quality of life. The aim of the study was to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQL) among patients with breast cancer in Lithuania. The main tasks were to analyze HRQL in sociodemographic and clinical aspects, and to determine symptoms that have the greatest impact on HRQL . A cross-sectional study was carried out in four major Lithuanian hospitals. An EORTC QLQ-C30 (version 3) questionnaire with general demographic and medical information was distributed among 318 patients. A total of 284 patients were included in the analysis. The response rate was 89%. The mean age of patients was 55.9 years (SD, 10.1 years), and the mean time from diagnosis--2.36 years (SD, 3.2 years). A greater part (65%) of the studied women lived in a family or with a partner. Women reported high level of functioning across several standardized HRQOL scales: cognitive functioning, everyday activity, and physical functioning. Fatigue and sleeping disorders were the most commonly indicated symptoms in the symptom scale. Fatigue and pain were the most important factors affecting general HRQOL. Our results emphasize that the general HRQOL of the studied women is fair, but poorer than that of the corresponding population in other countries. Women living in a family or partnership experienced fewer financial troubles and had higher HRQOL scores across several standardized measures compared to those who were single. Women with late stages of breast cancer felt worse and were less socially active compared to women who were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.

Highlights

Breast cancer is the most common malignant disorder among women, comprising approximately 23% of all forms of cancer
Our results emphasize that the general HRQOL of the studied women is fair, but poorer than that of the corresponding population in other countries
Women living in a family or partnership experienced fewer financial troubles and had higher HRQOL scores across several standardized measures compared to those who were single

Summary

Introduction

Breast cancer is the most common malignant disorder among women, comprising approximately 23% of all forms of cancer. According to the WHO, more than 1 million new cases of cancer are annually diagnosed worldwide. The mean prevalence of breast cancer in the world is about 66.7 cases per 100 000 women. 350 000 new cases of breast cancer are registered in Europe annually. Mortality from breast cancer in Lithuania reaches approximately 32 cases per 100 000 population. The diagnosis of breast cancer is based on the results of clinical, radiological, and patho-morphological examinations. Breast cancer is treated using evidence-based recommendatory treatment schemes. Treatment plan is individually devised for each patient with respect to the clinical manifestations, the extent of the process, and the morphology of the tumor. The main information that affects treatment strategy is the expression of estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors, and the risk for the progression of the disease [3]

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