Evaluation of health-related quality of life in patients with breast cancer

Background. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, comprising about 23% of all cancer types. About 1300 new cases of breast cancer are registered in Lithuania annually. During the last decade, health-related quality of life has become an important part of breast cancer treatment. Pain, fatigue, and sleep disorders are important aspects of health-related quality of life. The aim of the study was to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQL) among patients with breast cancer in Lithuania. The main tasks were to analyze HRQL in sociodemographic and clinical aspects, and to determine symptoms that have the greatest impact on HRQL .
Material and methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out in four major Lithuanian hospitals. An EORTC QLQ-C30 (version 3) questionnaire with general demographic and medical information was distributed among 318 patients. A total of 284 patients were included in the analysis.
Results. The response rate was 89%. The mean age of patients was 55.9 years (SD, 10.1 years), and the mean time from diagnosis – 2.36 years (SD, 3.2 years). A greater part (65%) of the studied women lived in a family or with a partner. Women reported high level of functioning across several standardized HRQOL scales: cognitive functioning, everyday activity, and physical functioning. Fatigue and sleeping disorders were the most commonly indicated symptoms in the symptom scale. Fatigue and pain were the most important factors affecting general HRQOL.
Conclusions. Our results emphasize that the general HRQOL of the studied women is fair, but poorer than that of the corresponding population in other countries. Women living in a family or partnership experienced fewer financial troubles and had higher HRQOL scores across several standardized measures compared to those who were single. Women with late stages of breast cancer felt worse and were less socially active compared to women who were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.