scholarly journals Survivourship Issues As Determinants of Quality of Life After Breast Cancer Treatment: Report From a Limited Resource Setting

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 100s-100s
Author(s):  
N. Kaur ◽  
A. Gupta ◽  
A.K. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Supportive Care ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Joint Pain ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Treatment

Background: Cancer survivorship is an unremitting struggle for breast cancer patients, as the consequence of complex treatment processes and its multitude of residual and late emerging side effects, have a significant impact on their quality of life (QOL). Unique issues of survivorship include those related to physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being of women. Amid a growing population of breast cancer survivors (BCs) worldwide, supportive care research is assuming greater importance in breast cancer care. Focus of survivorship research is to identify issues impacting QOL of the cancer survivors so that supportive care services can be tailored to their specific needs. Role of individual survivor's issues have been widely reported but a comprehensive picture is lacking. Aim: This study was conducted with the aim to identify important survivorship issues adversely affecting QOL of women after breast cancer treatment. Main objectives were to (1) estimate prevalence of various survivorship issues (2) assess QOL of survivors by using FACT-B and SF-36 questionnaires (3) study impact of time elapsed since treatment on survivorship issues and QOL scores (4) identify most important issues from the perspective of impact on QOL. Methods: This descriptive, hospital based, cross sectional study was conducted in 230 breast cancer survivors and a group of 112 healthy age-matched-controls, in an academic healthcare setting in northern India. A checklist of 14 commonly reported survivorship issues, and questionnaires for QOL assessment were administered to participants. Main outcome measures were (1) frequencies of survivorship issues and QOL scores among three groups divided on the basis of time elapsed since treatment (< 2 year follow-up, 2-5 year follow-up and > 5 year follow-up) (2) association of survivorship issues with QOL scores (3) stepwise regression analysis to identify issues with most significant impact on QOL of survivors. Results: Breast cancer survivors showed an improvement in their QOL over time which was sustained in long term survivors. However their quality of life remains poorer, compared with healthy women, irrespective of the duration of follow-up. The most prevalent survivorship issues were fatigue (60%), restriction of shoulder movement (59.6%), body and joint pain (63.5%), chemotherapy induced cessation of menstruation (73.3%) and loss of sexual desire (60%). However the issues which had maximum adverse effect on QOL scores were emotional distress, fatigue, postmastectomy chronic pain, cessation of menstruation, body and joint pain, vaginal dryness and sleep disturbances. Conclusion: Thus in this study, emotional distress and cancer related fatigue were found to be the chief determinants of poor QOL. Further premature menopause, with its attendant systemic symptoms, vulvo-vaginal atrophy and sexual dysfunction emerged as a key contributor to poor QOL in BCs.

scholarly journals Physical activity in Black breast cancer survivors: implications for quality of life and mood at baseline and 6-month follow-up

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 822-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allyson D. Diggins ◽  
Lauren E. Hearn ◽  
Suzanne C. Lechner ◽  
Debra Annane ◽  
Michael H. Antoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors

Long-term quality of life after breast cancer: comparison of 8-year survivors with population controls.

1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Dorval ◽  
E Maunsell ◽  
L Deschênes ◽  
J Brisson ◽  
B Mâsse
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Consecutive Series ◽  
Improve Quality

PURPOSE Quality of life of breast cancer survivors 8 years after diagnosis was compared with that among similarly aged women who had never confronted cancer (controls). METHODS Survivors of a consecutive series of 227 breast cancer patients first treated in 1984 were approached for this study. Random-digit dialing was used to identify controls with the same age and residential distribution as the survivors. Quality of life was assessed in terms of physical health, functional status, psychologic distress, and social functioning. RESULTS Participation was obtained from 96% (n = 124) of 129 eligible survivors and 61% (n = 262) of 427 potentially eligible controls. Consistently smaller proportions of survivors reported positive quality-of-life outcomes compared with controls, but these differences were generally small and nonsignificant statistically. When limited to women who remained free of disease over the entire follow-up period (n = 98), survivors' quality of life was similar to that among controls, with the exception of arm problems and sexual satisfaction for those women who lived with a partner. In contrast, survivors who developed recurrence or new primary breast cancer (n = 26) experienced a worse quality of life in all domains except social functioning. CONCLUSION In most domains and for women without further disease events after diagnosis, quality of life does not seem to be permanently and globally impaired by breast cancer. Consequently, breast cancer survivors who remain free of disease probably do not need organized late psychosocial follow-up to improve quality of life. However, arm problems and sexuality are two areas in which additional effort may be still needed to improve quality of life of long-term survivors.

Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors After a Recurrence: A Follow-Up Study

2004 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sindy Oh ◽  
Lara Heflin ◽  
Beth E. Meyerowitz ◽  
Katherine A. Desmond ◽  
Julia H. Rowland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Follow Up Study

The Experience of Waiting and Life During Breast Cancer Follow-Up

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Gaudine ◽  
Marilyn Sturge-Jacobs ◽  
Mary Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Medical Intervention ◽  
Medical Testing ◽  
Life Issues

Much research exists on quality of life issues with breast cancer survivors. However, there has been little done on the waiting experience itself, and on the experience of follow-up from the women’s perspective. Women who have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer live with the condition for a minimum of 5 years, waiting for the next medical intervention; waiting for the next battery of tests; waiting for the next physician check-up. Throughout most of these years they may feel healthy, but they experience visits to cancer clinics, medical testing, and physician interactions. Women’s accounts of their experiences of waiting and life during follow-up for breast cancer has not been the focus of research on the quality of life of breast cancer survivors. In particular research that uses a qualitative approach, in which women recount their experiences in their own language, has been missing. This study used a phenomenological approach, telling the stories of waiting and life throughout follow-up of nine women. The women’s experiences are captured in four themes: life-changing; a sense of belonging; uncertainty; needing to know.

scholarly journals Therapy choices and quality of life in young breast cancer survivors: a short-term follow-up

2013 ◽  
Vol 206 (5) ◽  
pp. 625-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Catherine Lee ◽  
Rajendra S. Bhati ◽  
Edina E. von Rottenthaler ◽  
Angela M. Reagan ◽  
Sloan B. Karver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Young Breast Cancer

scholarly journals Tailored Sailing Experience to Reduce Psychological Distress and Improve the Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors: A Survey-Based Pilot Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 4406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Mirandola ◽  
Giovanna Franchi ◽  
Alice Maruelli ◽  
Manuela Vinci ◽  
Maria Grazia Muraca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sporting Activities

Background: Growing evidence indicates that physical/sporting activities may improve the health outcomes and quality of life (QoL) of breast cancer (BC) survivors. Since recent reports have suggested that sailing can improve the psychophysical well-being and QoL of people with disabilities, this pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of a tailored sailing experience on the QoL and psychological distress (PD) of BC survivors. Methods: A group of 19 breast cancer survivors, who were attending the Cancer Rehabilitation Center in Florence, were invited to participate in a sailing school and completed a survey based on a structured online questionnaire assessing QoL and PD both on departure (baseline) and one week after returning (follow-up). The survey comprised a first part (i.e., sociodemographic characteristics and the practice of physical/sporting activities at baseline; sailing experience satisfaction at follow-up) and a second part (i.e., Short Form-12 (SF-12), State/Trait-Anxiety Inventory form Y (STAI-Y), distress thermometer questionnaires). A paired Student’s t-test was used to compare the baseline versus follow-up QoL and PD scores. Results: A statistically significant improvement in SF-12 mental component scores and a reduction in both STAI-Y state/trait components and distress thermometer scores were found after the sailing experience. Conclusions: We conclude that sailing practice could be a feasible intervention to increase the psychophysical well-being of BC survivors.

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