Quality of life of 5–10 year breast cancer survivors diagnosed between age 40 and 49

• Main Authors: Taplin Stephen, Buist Diana SM, Casso Deborah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2004-05-01
• Series: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
• Subjects: breast cancer; long-term survivors; quality of life
• Online Access: http://www.hqlo.com/content/2/1/25

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this report is to examine the correlates of quality of life (QOL) of a well-defined group of long-term breast cancer survivors diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 49.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Women were eligible if they were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma <it>in situ </it>5 to 10 years before June 30, 1998 and were enrolled at Group Health Cooperative, a health maintenance organization in western Washington State. A questionnaire was mailed to 290 women; 216 were included in this analysis. The questionnaire included standardized measures of QOL [e.g., the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System (CARES-SF) and SF-36] as well as general demographic and medical information. ANOVA and logistic regression were used to estimate correlates of self-reported QOL.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age at diagnosis was 44.4 years, and the average time since diagnosis was 7.3 years. Women reported high levels of functioning across several standardized QOL scales; mild impairment was found on the CARES-SF Sexual Scale. The presence of breast-related symptoms at survey, use of adjuvant therapy, having lower income, and type of breast surgery were significantly associated with lower QOL 5 to 10 years post-diagnosis on one or more of the scales.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results emphasize that younger long-term survivors of breast cancer have a high QOL across several standardized measures. However, the long-term consequences of adjuvant therapy and the management of long-term breast-related symptoms are two areas that may be important for clinicians and women with breast cancer in understanding and optimizing long-term QOL.</p>