scholarly journals Impact of Time to Initiation of Treatment on the Quality of Life of Women with Breast Cancer

Author(s):  
Magdalena Konieczny ◽  
Elżbieta Cipora ◽  
Wojciech Roczniak ◽  
Magdalena Babuśka-Roczniak ◽  
Marek Wojtaszek

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women. Due to the large number of women living with breast cancer and the increasing incidence of this cancer, it is very important to understand the factors determining the quality of life (QOL) of patients. The aim of the study. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of time to initiation of treatment on the quality of life of women with breast cancer. Materials and methods. The study involved 324 women with breast cancer, treated at the Podkarpackie Oncology Centre in Brzozów, Poland. The study was conducted using a diagnostic survey, using a standardised questionnaire to measure the quality of life of women treated for breast cancer, i.e., the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and the QLQ-BR23 module, as well as a proprietary survey questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistica 10.0 software (StatSoft Inc., 2011). A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The examined women had a reduced overall quality of life and health (M = 53.88). The quality of life was higher in women who consulted a doctor the earliest after noticing initial symptoms of the disease, i.e., up to one week (M = 57.58), compared to patients who delayed the decision (over four weeks; M = 47.8) (p = 0.002). The quality of life was also considered higher by women who received treatment within two weeks of diagnosis (M = 56.79) and was lower for patients who waited for treatment for more than two months (M = 43.68). Statistically significant relationships were demonstrated for functional scales and disease intensity. Conclusions: Women diagnosed with breast cancer had a considerably lower overall quality of life. A relatively higher quality of life was experienced by patients who consulted a doctor the earliest after discovering symptoms of the disease and those whose waiting time for treatment was shorter. In a systematic manner, the individual stages of diagnosis should be maximally reduced and breast cancer treatment initiated without delay.

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 598-606
Author(s):  
Jovica Milovanovic ◽  
Dragoslava Andrejic ◽  
Ana Jotic ◽  
Vojko Djukic ◽  
Oliver Toskovic ◽  
...  

Backround/Aim. Considering the distinct increase in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer over oral cavity cancers and changing epidemiology with human papilloma virus (HPV) infection emerging as an important risk factor, there is a need to establish better treatment choices in specific groups of patients with oropharyngeal cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (QOL) and functional performance and the impact of different demographical data, stage of disease, and treatment type on these parameters in patients with oropharyngeal cancer with successfully achieved locoregional control a year after the treatment. Methods. Study included 87 patients who underwent QOL and functional impairment assessment 12 to 14 months after finished oncological treatment with the following questionnaires: the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of Life-Questionnaire-C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of- Life Questionnaire-Head and Neck 35 (EORTC QLQ-H&N35) and The Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS). Results. Specific groups of patients had significantly different post-treatment QOL scores. The factors associated with the worse QOL scores were female gender, not being in a partnership, level of education and HPV status. Conclusion. Clinicians should consider socioeconomic factors and HPV status in planning the recovery after treatment of patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma. Gender, education level and employment are the variables that form a certain risk profiles associated with the lower QOL.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monique Binotto ◽  
Gilberto Schwartsmann

Introdução: O câncer de mama pode alterar a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde das pacientes. Objetivo: Compreender o impacto da quimioterapia para câncer de mama na qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde de pacientes. Método: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura, compreendendo artigos publicados entre 2007 e 2019, disponíveis nas bases de dados PubMed, LILACS e SciELO. Analisaram-se 25 artigos na íntegra. Resultados: Os questionários mais frequentemente utilizados nos estudos foram o European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) e o módulo complementar European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Breast Cancer-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-BR23). Em relação às alterações da qualidade de vida, a saúde global diminui durante a quimioterapia, mas pode melhorar após o término do tratamento. O aumento dos sintomas é relatado em diversos estudos e prejudicou a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde das pacientes. Entretanto, os sintomas diminuem após o término da quimioterapia, exceto para algumas escalas. As escalas de imagem corporal, função sexual e funcionamento físico pioram ao longo do tratamento. A qualidade de vida mental/psicológica tem oscilações durante o tratamento, assim como a escala sobre as relações sociais. Conclusão: A qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde de mulheres com câncer de mama é afetada negativamente pelo tratamento quimioterápico, expressando maior impacto nas escalas de sintomas.


2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1944-1951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Bordeleau ◽  
John Paul Szalai ◽  
Marguerite Ennis ◽  
Molyn Leszcz ◽  
Michael Speca ◽  
...  

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of a standardized group psychosocial intervention on health-related quality of life (HrQOL) in women with metastatic breast cancer and to explore the effect of missing data in HrQOL analyses. Patients and Methods: Between 1993 and 1998, seven Canadian centers randomly assigned 235 eligible women to participate in a weekly, 90-minute, therapist-led support group that adhered to principles of supportive-expressive (SE) therapy or to a control arm (no SE). All women received educational material and any type of medical or psychosocial care deemed necessary. HrQOL data were prospectively collected using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months. The primary HrQOL analyses compared scores in the two study arms. Analyses were limited to women with appropriate baseline HrQOL information (n = 215). Results: Baseline EORTC QLQ-C30 scores were not different between the two study arms (all P > .05). Primary analysis of all subscales failed to show a significant influence of the intervention on HrQOL (all P > .05). There was a significant deterioration over time in several functional scales of the EORTC QLQ-C30: global (P = .03), physical (P = .0002), role (P = .01), and cognitive functioning (P = .04); and in symptom scales: dyspnea (P = .007), appetite loss (P = .04), and fatigue (P = .003); these changes were independent of randomization allocation. Results were similar in additional analyses of overall HrQOL using a variety of approaches to handling missing data. Conclusion: Supportive-expressive group therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer does not appear to influence HrQOL, as measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 227s-227s
Author(s):  
A.C. Filankembo Kava ◽  
P. Conde ◽  
K. El Rhazi ◽  
M. Bennani ◽  
A. Benider ◽  
...  

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Breast cancer is ranked the first female cancer (33.4%) in Morocco; and more than 60% cases are diagnosed at stage III or IV. During the last decade, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has become an important part of breast cancer treatment. Aim: The objective of this study is to describe self- reported HRQOL in patients with breast cancer and to investigate its associations with socio-demographic and clinical variables. Methods: A prospective study was carried out in the main oncology centers in Morocco. Quality of life was measured using the Moroccan Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C 30 (EORTC QLQ C30) and Breast Cancer-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-BR23). Statistical data analyses were performed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 1463 subjects were included in the study. The subjects' mean age was 55.6 (SD. 11.2) years, 70% were married. The majority of the subjects had stage II (45.9%) and the few cases had stage IV (12.9%). Participants had a mean score for global health of 68.5. Among functional scales, social functioning scored the highest (mean 86.2, SD = 22.7). The most distressing symptom on the symptom scales was financial difficulties (mean 63.2, SD = 38.2). Using the disease-specific tool, it was found that future perspective scored the lowest (mean 40.5, SD = 37.3). On the symptom scale, arm symptoms scored the highest (mean 23.6, SD = 21.6). Significant mean differences were noted for many functional and symptom scales. Conclusion: Our results emphasize that the general HRQOL of the studied women is fairer than that of the corresponding population in other countries. This study provided baseline information on the quality of life of a large sample of Moroccan women diagnosed with breast cancer.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 373
Author(s):  
Sophit Korpunsilp ◽  
Tipaporn Pongmesa

Objective: To assess quality of life (QoL) of female breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with a fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FAC) regimen.Material and Method: This prospective analytical study was performed among 40 Thai female patients receiving the FAC regimen at Pranangklao Hospital, Nonthaburi province. Their QoL was assessed using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Breast Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-BR23).Results: Most patients were aged 50 years or over (77.5%) and had been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer (47.5%). According to the EORTC QLQ-C30, the patients’ QoL significantly decreased compared to the baseline after cycle 3 for global health status (p-value=0.002) and QoL (p-value=0.001), as well as physical functioning (p-value=0.015) and role functioning (p-value=0.001), while symptoms of fatigue, nausea/vomiting, and appetite loss increased (p-value<0.001). After cycle 5, the patients’ QoL was still significantly lower than at baseline, for physical functioning (p-value=0.009) and symptoms of fatigue, nausea/vomiting, appetite loss (p-value<0.001) and dyspnea (p-value=0.005). The EORTC QLQ-BR23 reported significantly worse systemic therapy side effects for both cycles 3 and 5 (p-value<0.001), and distress due to hair loss also appeared after cycle 5 (p-value=0.016). No significant differences were revealed on any scales between cycles 3 and 5.Conclusion: The patients’ QoL significantly decreased after chemotherapy with the FAC regimen, with some side effects from treatment and reduction in some functioning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusoff N ◽  
Low WY ◽  
Yip CH

Introduction: The Malay Version of EORTC-QLQ C30 was validated among Malaysian women who had undergone breast cancer surgery. Materials and Methods: Test-retest evaluation (i.e. three weeks and ten weeks following surgery) was carried out to examine the validity and reliability of the scale. The Cronbach’s alpha value was used to determine the internal consistency, meanwhile, test-retest Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) indicates the reliability of the scale. Effect Size Index and Mean Differences interpret the sensitivity of the scale. Discriminant validity was evaluated by comparing two groups i.e. women who had mastectomy and women who had lumpectomy. Results: Internal consistencies are acceptable for Global Health Status (0.91), Functional domains (ranging from 0.50-0.89) and Symptomatology domains (ranging from 0.75-0.99). Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.05 to 0.99 for Global Health Status and Functional domains, and ranged from 0.13 to 1.00 for Symptomatology domains. Sensitivity of the scale was observed in nearly all of the domains. Conclusion: The Malay Version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ C30) is a suitable tool to measure the quality of life of women with breast cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 229
Author(s):  
Mizanul Adli ◽  
Hamzah Shatri ◽  
Noorwati Sutandyo ◽  
Suhendro Suwarto

Pendahuluan. Peningkatan angka ketahanan hidup pasien kanker payudara tidak selalu diikuti oleh peningkatan kualitas hidup. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) menekankan pentingnya melakukan penilaian kualitas hidup pada pasien kanker. Saat ini, di Indonesia, belum ada kuesioner yang valid dan reliabel untuk menilai kualitas hidup pasien kanker payudara secara akurat. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membuktikan bahwa European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Breast 23 (EORTC QLQ-BR23) merupakan alat ukur yang reliabel dan valid digunakan di IndonesiaMetode. Penelitian ini adalah studi potong lintang. Penelitian dimulai dengan menerjemahkan EORTC QLQ-BR23 ke dalam bahasa Indonesia dan kemudian di uji coba pada 10 responden. Setelah itu, EORTC QLQ-BR23 hasil terjemahan digunakan pada penelitian utama dengan jumlah sampel yang lebih besar. Test-retest dinilai dengan Intraclass Correlation Coeficient (ICC). Konsistensi internal dinilai dengan cronbach alpha. Construct validity dinilai dengan multi-trait scaling analysis. Validitas kriteria dinilai dengan melihat korelasi antara domain European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Cancer30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) dan EORTC QLQ-BR23 dengan Short Form 36(SF36).Hasil. Telah dilakukan pengambilan data terhadap 100 pasien kanker payudara yang menjalani terapi dari September - Oktober 2015. Nilai ICC (interval 1 jam) pada semua domain EORTC QLQ-BR23 sangat baik (ICC > 0,8). Terdapat penurunan nilai ICC (interval 30 hari) pada semua domain EORTC QLQ-BR23. Nilai cronbach alpha > 0,7 pada hampir semua domain EORTC QLQ-BR23 kecuali domain gejala lengan (Cronbach Alpha: 0,643). Multi-trait scaling analysis menunjukkan korelasi cukup tinggi antara skor butir pertanyaan dengan skor domainnya sendiri. Sedangkan hubungan butir pertanyaan dengan domain yang berbeda selalu mempunyai korelasi yang lebih rendah dibandingkan dengan domainnya sendiri. Pada uji validitas kriteria, didapatkan 19 korelasi dengan r > 0,3 antara domain EORTC QLQ-C30 dan EORTC QLQ-BR23 dengan SF36.Simpulan. EORTC QLQ-BR23 merupakan alat ukur yang valid dan reliabel  untuk menilai kualitas hidup pasien kanker payudara di Indonesia Kata Kunci: Kualitas Hidup, EORTC QLQ-BR23, Validitas, Reliabilitas, Kanker Payudara Validity and Reability Test of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Breast23 in Breast Cancer Patient on TreatmentIntroduction. Improved survival of breast cancer patients are not necessarily followed by improvement of quality of life. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) emphasize the importance of assessing the quality of life in cancer patients. Currently, in Indonesia, there has been no reliable and valid questionnaire to assess quality of life of breast cancer patients accurately. This study aims to prove that the EORTC QLQ-BR23 is valid and reliable measuring instrument used in Indonesia.Methods. This is a cross-sectional study. The study began with the EORTC QLQBR23 translated into Indonesian and then tested on 10 respondents. After that, The Indonesian version of EORTC QLQ-BR23 is used in the main study with a larger sample size. Test-retest was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach alpha. Construct validity was assessed by multi-trait scaling analysis. The criteria validity assessed by looking at the correlation between domains European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Cancer 30 (EORTC QLQC30) and EORTC QLQ-BR23 with Short Form 36 (SF36).Results. Data collection were done on 100 breast cancer patients on treatment from September to October 2015. ICC value (1 hour interval) in all domains of EORTC QLQ-BR23 is very good (ICC> 0.8). There is a decline in the value of ICC (30 days interval) in all domains of EORTC QLQ-BR23. Cronbach alpha values > 0.7 in almost all domains of EORTC QLQ-BR23 domain unless symptoms arm domain (Cronbach's Alpha: 0.643). Multi-trait scaling analysis showed a fairly high correlation between the scores of the questions with a score of his own domain. While the relationship of the questions with different domains always have a lower correlation than the domain itself. In criteria validity test, obtained 19 correlation with r > 0,3 between domains EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BR23 with SF36.Conclusion. EORTC QLQ-BR23 is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing quality of life of breast cancer patients in Indonesia


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