PD04-06: A Randomised Controlled Trial of Quality of Life and Fatigue after Support Group Intervention in Primary Breast Cancer Patients.

Abstract

Abstract Background: When diagnosed with breast cancer, most women's lives change as well as their perspectives on and appreciation of life. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether psychosocial support intervention could influence health- related quality of life and fatigue during the first year after diagnosis. Material and Methods: Of 382 patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer, 191 + 191 patients were randomized to an intervention group or to a routine control group respectively. The intervention group received support intervention that lasted one week on a residential basis, followed by four days of follow-up two months later. The support intervention included informative-educational parts, relaxation training, mental visualisation and nonverbal communication. Health-related quality of life was measured using the EORTC-QLQ 30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires and fatigue with the Norwegian version of the Fatigue scale at baseline, 2, 6 and 12 months after intervention. Result: There were a time-dependant improvement in both functional and symptom scales between baseline and 12 months as measured by the EORTC QLQ 30 and BR 23 questionnaires and there was a decrease in fatigue between baseline and after 2 months with further improvement up to 12 months in both groups but there were no differences between the intervention and control groups at any point in time. Conclusion: Health related Quality of Life improves and symptoms of fatigue decreases over time, but we could not see any additional effect from the rehabilitation program in this setting. Key words: Support intervention, breast cancer, health- related quality of life, fatigue, EORTC-QLQ 30 and BR 23, the Norwegian version of the fatigue scale. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr PD04-06.