Investigating Functional and Symptom Scales of Quality of Life and Its Effective Factors among Patients with Breast Cancer during Chemotherapy

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Considering its long process of the treatment and significant influence on the health of patients, we aimed to investigate the functional and symptom scales of quality of life and the factors affecting patients with breast cancer during chemotherapy. Method: In this cross-sectional study, 94 women with breast cancer visiting Imam Reza Healthcare Center in Mashhad, who were in the course of chemotherapy, selected through convenience sampling. To investigate the functional and symptom scales of the quality of life, EORTC QLQ-BR23 was used. Data was analyzed via multiple linear regression model and significance level was considered as 0.05. Results: In functional scales, the highest and lowest score were obtained for sexual functioning (38.12±18.55) and future perspective (17.73±19.98), respectively. In the symptom scales, the highest and lowest score belonged to upset by hair loss (28.39±25.66) and breast symptoms (6.74±10.39), respectively. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that education had a negative effect on body image, menopause had a positive effect on sexual function, and tumor size had a negative effect on breast symptoms. Conclusion: Breast cancer deserves serious consideration as it affects different aspects of quality of life. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to take some measures for early diagnosis, achieve better therapeutic methods, use supportive therapy to decline the symptoms of the disease, and promote the functional level of women with breast cancer.