Quality of life outcomes of breast cancer in an integrative treatment setting: The Cancer Treatment Centers of America experience

Abstract

6136 Background: There is evidence to suggest that patients undergoing aggressive treatment for breast cancer can experience an initial deterioration of quality of life (QoL). The goal of this investigation was to evaluate the QoL outcomes in patients with breast cancer treated at our integrative cancer treatment setting. Methods: A case series of 34 patients with stages I-IV breast cancer treated at Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center between March 2001 and September 2003 was included in this study. All patients underwent a comprehensive program of nutritional, spiritual, physical, naturopathic, and emotional support while receiving aggressive conventional cancer treatment. QoL was evaluated using the EORTC QLQ-C30 (EORTC) and the Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index (QLI). The mean QoL scores were compared using Analysis of Variance across three different time periods; baseline, 1 and 3 months. Results: Patients received a variety of treatments: all 34 received chemotherapy, 12 (35.3%) radiation, 7 (20.6%) hormone replacement therapy, 4 (11.8%) immunotherapy, and 3 (8.8%) surgery. Mean QoL scores showed statistically significant improvement during the three month period for the emotional function (mean scores 60, 72.5 and 71.5 at baseline, 1 and 3 month; p=0.04) and insomnia symptom subscale (mean scores 41.2 p=0.08) in EORTC. In all other domains, mean QoL scores in both EORTC and QLI showed no significant difference across the three time periods. Conclusion: This study suggests that QoL outcomes in breast cancer are either well-maintained or improved while undergoing treatment in our integrative cancer treatment setting. In future studies, we will be examining the impact of specific treatment protocols on the Qol outcomes of these patients. No significant financial relationships to disclose.