QUALITY OF LIFE AND THE RELATIONSHIP WITH EARLY COMPLICATIONS OF BREAST CANCER TREATMENT IN BRAZILIAN WOMEN

Abstract

Background and Aims: The assessment of quality of life (QOL) in women with breast cancer before treatment allows a more comprehensive assessment these patients. Some initial complications are a major cause of morbidity in the postoperative period. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between quality of life before treatment of breast cancer and early complications in National Cancer Institute-Brazil (INCA). Methods: Participants were women with unilateral breast cancer, requiring oncological attention in INCA between June/2009 and March/2010. To assess quality of life before treatment was used EORTC QLQ-C30 and the BR23 module. Information about early changes (axillary web syndrome, pain and subjective symptoms related to early edema in the upper limbs) were obtained by physical examination 30 days after surgery and were collected in a standardized form of the medical records. Bivariate analysis of dichotomous variables and independent variables and the odds ratio, with CI 95%, were analyzed. Results181 women were evaluate and were observed that women who reported good health overall, showed a protection of 57% for early subjective edema (OR=0.43 95% CI 0.20 -0.96). Symptoms scale of BR23 is negatively associated with pain (OR=0.11 95% CI 0.21-0.73). Patients with good functionality-C30 showed protection of 66% (OR=0.34 95% CI 0.15-0.75) for pain. Were not found statistically significant results when evaluating axillary web syndrome and does not indicate the presence of association. Conclusions: These results suggest that good quality of life is predictor to evaluated early complications in women with breast cancer in the period before starting cancer treatment.