TY - JOUR
T1 - Health-related quality of life during adjuvant treatment for breast cancer among postmenopausal women
AU - Browall, Maria
AU - Ahlberg, Karin
AU - Karlsson, Per
AU - Danielson, Ella
AU - Persson, Lars Olof
AU - Gaston-Johansson, Fannie
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded and supported by the King Gustav V Jubilee Clinic Cancer Research Foundation, Göteborg, and The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Göteborg, Sweden. We are most grateful to all the women who took part in the study. We wish to thank Anders Oden, Professor in Biostatistics, for providing help and guidance with the statistical methods used in the data processing.
PY - 2008/7
Y1 - 2008/7
N2 - The purpose of the present study was twofold: first, to describe changes of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) during the adjuvant treatment among postmenopausal women with breast cancer; second, in the same population to identify the best predictors of Overall Quality of Life (QoL) after treatment, from perceived functioning, symptoms, emotional distress and clinical/demographic variables measured at baseline. The study group was 150 women (≥55 years of age) scheduled for adjuvant chemotherapy (CT, n=75) or radiotherapy (RT, n=75). They were examined before (baseline), during and after completing the treatment. Data about QoL, perceived functioning, symptoms and emotional distress were collected with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)-QLQ-C30, BR23 and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaires. The general finding was that the adjuvant treatments were associated with decrease in overall QoL, physical and role functioning, anxiety and body image, as well as with increase in fatigue, dyspnoea, pain, nausea/vomiting, constipation and systemic therapy side effects measured over time. For women receiving CT, better emotional functioning and less pain at baseline predicted better overall QoL at the end of the treatment. For women receiving RT, better physical and emotional functioning, less breast symptoms and lower tumour stage at baseline predicted better overall QoL at the end of the treatment.
AB - The purpose of the present study was twofold: first, to describe changes of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) during the adjuvant treatment among postmenopausal women with breast cancer; second, in the same population to identify the best predictors of Overall Quality of Life (QoL) after treatment, from perceived functioning, symptoms, emotional distress and clinical/demographic variables measured at baseline. The study group was 150 women (≥55 years of age) scheduled for adjuvant chemotherapy (CT, n=75) or radiotherapy (RT, n=75). They were examined before (baseline), during and after completing the treatment. Data about QoL, perceived functioning, symptoms and emotional distress were collected with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)-QLQ-C30, BR23 and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaires. The general finding was that the adjuvant treatments were associated with decrease in overall QoL, physical and role functioning, anxiety and body image, as well as with increase in fatigue, dyspnoea, pain, nausea/vomiting, constipation and systemic therapy side effects measured over time. For women receiving CT, better emotional functioning and less pain at baseline predicted better overall QoL at the end of the treatment. For women receiving RT, better physical and emotional functioning, less breast symptoms and lower tumour stage at baseline predicted better overall QoL at the end of the treatment.
KW - Breast cancer
KW - Chemotherapy
KW - Elderly
KW - Quality of life
KW - Radiotherapy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=45449086029&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=45449086029&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ejon.2008.01.005
DO - 10.1016/j.ejon.2008.01.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 18343197
AN - SCOPUS:45449086029
SN - 1462-3889
VL - 12
SP - 180
EP - 189
JO - European Journal of Oncology Nursing
JF - European Journal of Oncology Nursing
IS - 3
ER -