317 Background: Few studies have examined longitudinal changes in HRQL among BC patients. To our knowledge, this is the largest prospective population-based study to quantify HRQL changes from before to after BC DX and to compare their HRQL with a non-cancer cohort. Methods: Our sample included 179 BC patients (≥ age 65) and 376,986 non-cancer subjects within the SEER-Medicare Health Outcomes Survey database (1998-2007). We assessed HRQL as measured by physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary scores of the veterans RAND 12-item health survey. An analysis of covariance model was used to estimate changes in HRQL scores for patients after BC DX relative to control subjects with adjustment for baseline HRQL scores and covariates. Results: 84.4% (N=151) of BC patients had non-muscle invasive BC (NMIBC) and 15.6% (N=28) had muscle invasive BC (MIBC). 49.2% and 39.1% of BC patients had ≥2 comorbid conditions and ≥1 activities of daily living (ADL) deficit, respectively. Compared to the control subjects, more BC patients were men (67.0% vs 38.5%; P<0.01), current or former smokers (58.7% vs 37.3%; P<0.01), and had income ≥ $50,000(15.1% vs 8.8%; P=0.02). Other baseline demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were similar (P>0.05). After DX, BC patients reported a significant decline in PCS (1.9; 95% CI 0.1, 3.7) score compared to non-cancer controls whereas the decrease in MCS score (1.4; 95% CI -0.1, 3.0) was not statistically significant. For those with NMIBC, HRQL was not significantly different than that of the non-cancer cohort (P>0.05) after DX. However, the PCS and MCS scores of MIBC patients decreased by 5.3 (95% CI 0.9, 9.8) and 3.8 points (95% CI -0.1, 7.7) after DX, respectively. Older age at BC DX, lower educational and income levels, smoking history, and higher numbers of comorbid conditions and ADL deficits were significantly associated with inferior PCS and MCS scores after BC DX (P<0.01). Conclusions: Treatment-related side effects and/or symptoms due to BC adversely affect HRQL of BC patients, especially in those with MIBC, and should be consistently assessed by health care providers. Future research that examines interventions to improve HRQL is critical to improve BC care.
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