Financial Strain and Physical and Emotional Quality of Life in Breast Cancer

Objective: To synthesise the existing evidence about the effect of patient education, either used alone or as adjunctive therapy, on the improvement of quality of life, pain and fatigue in adult breast cancer survivors. Data sources: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Cochrane Plus, PEDro, Dialnet and Clinicaltrials.gov databases. Methods: We conducted this systematic review in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Only randomised controlled trials with adult breast cancer survivors were included. We assessed the methodological quality of the studies using the PEDro scale and the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. We synthesised evidence using the GRADE tool. Results: We included 14 studies (PEDro 4–8 points) comprising 1749 adult women who survived breast cancer, of which we included 12 in the quantitative analysis. There were statistically significant short-term benefits for improved global quality-of-life (standardised mean difference [SMD] = 0.43, P = 0.05, 95% CI [0.00, 0.85]; GRADE: low certainty; not important), emotional quality-of-life (SMD = 0.32, P = 0.04, 95% CI [0.02, 0.62]) and fatigue (SMD = 0.24, P = 0.0004, 95% CI [0.11, 0.37]; GRADE: low certainty; not important). However, there were not statistically significant for pain severity (SMD = −0.05, P = 0.67, 95% CI [−0.26, 0.17]; GRADE: low certainty; not important) and fear to recurrence (SMD = −0.05, P = 0.68, 95% CI [−0.31, 0.20]; GRADE: moderate certainty; not important). Conclusion: Patient education have a significative effect in short-term global quality-of-life, emotional quality-of-life and fatigue, though all the results were classified as ‘not important’.

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Urban voices: The quality-of-life experience among women of color with breast cancer

Palliative & Supportive Care ◽

10.1017/s1478951507070186 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 115-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

ANNE M. FATONE ◽

ALYSON B. MOADEL ◽

FREDERICK W. FOLEY ◽

MEGAN FLEMING ◽

LINA JANDORF.

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

African American ◽

African American Women ◽

Women Of Color ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Hispanic Women ◽

Treatment Plan ◽

Financial Strain

Objectives:Research on the health-related quality of life (HRQL) among women of color (i.e., Hispanics and African Americans) with breast cancer suggests that they may be at elevated risk for a variety of physical and psychosocial sequelae. The context in which these women perceive, experience, and respond to these HRQL challenges can provide important information for planning a culturally appropriate palliative care treatment plan.Methods: In an effort to understand the quality of lifeexperienceafter breast cancer among women of color, this study describes the nature and impact of physical, emotional, and menopausal symptoms among African American (n= 8) and Hispanic (n= 12) breast cancer survivors based on qualitative data gathered through semistructured interviews. Themes were identified and categorized into six HRQL domains: physical (e.g., pain, nausea), psychological (e.g., sadness, irritability), cognitive (e.g., memory problems), sexual (e.g., decreased desire), social/functional (e.g., financial strain, social distress), and spiritual/existential (e.g., increased faith, spiritual coping), with high interrater reliability (kappa = .81).Results:For both groups, physical issues had a major impact on HRQL, with psychological issues being additionally salient for Hispanic women. Most (88%) African American women voiced positive changes in their faith after diagnosis whereas 50% of Hispanic women viewed faith as an important way of coping with breast cancer.Significance of results:This research broadens our understanding of the experience of breast cancer among ethnic minority women, and in turn, offers some key directions for guiding the development of culturally tailored HRQL interventions.

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Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients: The Moderator Role of Family Stress

Anales de Psicología ◽

10.6018/analesps.35.2.303561 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 181-187

Author(s):

M.Graça Pereira ◽

Ana Cristina Paredes ◽

Rui Nabiço ◽

Catarina Ribeiro ◽

Gabriela Ferreira

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Body Image ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Family Stress ◽

Life Questionnaire ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Emotional Quality ◽

Life Orientation Test

In breast cancer patients, quality of life has been associated with treatment response and overall survival. One hundred women undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer completed questionnaires including demographic and clinical information, the EORTC-Quality of Life Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales, Body Image Scale, Index of Family Relations and the Life Orientation Test. The results showed that higher optimism and better body image were associated with improved quality of life. Distress significantly predicted physical and emotional quality of life, but recurrence only predicted physical quality of life. Family stress was a moderator in the relationship between psychological distress and emotional quality of life, showing the need to screen and intervene on family stress in patients with breast cancer. The results may help in designing interventions for women with breast cancer in order to promote quality of life.

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Conceptualizing problems with symptoms, function, health behavior, health-seeking skills, and financial strain in breast cancer survivors using hierarchical clustering

Journal of Cancer Survivorship ◽

10.1007/s11764-021-01068-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xiangyu Liu ◽

Yongyi Chen ◽

Andy SK Cheng ◽

Yingchun Zeng ◽

Shahid Ullah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Hierarchical Clustering ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Financial Strain ◽

Chinese Translation ◽

The Future

Abstract Purpose Determine whether a diverse set of problems experienced by breast cancer survivors (BCS) following curative treatment can be formulated into a reduced number of clusters, potentially simplifying the conceptualization of these problems. Method Female BCS were recruited from four cancer hospitals in China. The Chinese translation of the Cancer Survivor Profile (CSPro) was used to measure 18 common problem areas, as supported by epidemiological and phenomenological research. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Breast (FACT-B) was used to measure quality of life, as a validation of any observed groupings. Hierarchical clustering using multiple distance criteria and aggregation methods to detect patterns of problems was used. Results A total of 1008 BCS (mean 46.51 years old) living in both urban and rural areas were investigated. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified two major clusters of problems. One set was classified as “functional limitations,” while the other cluster was labeled “multi-problems.” Those who fell into the multi-problem cluster experienced poorer quality of life. Conclusion Eighteen non-medical problems were broken down into two major clusters: (1) limitations in higher level functions required of daily life and (2) limitations in health care–seeking skills, problems with certain symptoms, unhealthy behaviors, and financial problems related to cancer. The breakdown of problem areas into these two clusters may help identify common mechanisms. Implications for Cancer Survivors In the future, the search for common clusters and the mechanisms for the many problems that breast cancer survivors and other cancer survivors can experience following primary treatment may improve how we help manage these problems in the future.

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