This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Save to my personal folders Download to citation manager Rights & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Avis, N. E. Articles by Manuel, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Avis, N. E. Articles by Manuel, J. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?

Quality of Life Among Younger Women With Breast Cancer

From the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC; University of Massachusetts Medical School, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Worcester, MA

Address reprint requests to Nancy E. Avis, PhD, Department of Public Health Sciences, Section on Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Piedmont Plaza II, 2nd Floor, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1063; e-mail: navis{at}wfubmc.edu

PURPOSE: To describe quality of life (QOL) of younger women 4 to 42 months after breast cancer diagnosis and to identify factors associated with impaired QOL.

METHODS: A total of 202 women diagnosed with stage I to III breast cancer at age 50 or younger from 4 to 42 months after breast cancer diagnosis previously completed a mailed survey. Global QOL; health-related QOL as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Breast Cancer (FACT-B); medical history; symptoms; days of work/activity missed after diagnosis; relationship, sexual, and body image problems; coping strategies; and feelings of preparedness were measured.

RESULTS: General aches and pains and unhappiness with appearance were reported by more than 70% of women. Hot flashes (P = .0007), pain with sexual intercourse (P = .02), and difficulty with bladder control (P = .002) all significantly increased with age. Global QOL was significantly lower than for a nonpatient sample of younger women (P < .0001). In general, few sociodemographic and medical factors were related to QOL. In multivariate analyses, days of work/usual activity missed immediately after diagnosis; relationship, sexual, or body image problems after diagnosis; and coping strategies were related to almost all QOL domains. Ongoing treatment, vaginal dryness, and feeling unprepared for the impact of breast cancer were related to some domains.

CONCLUSION: Younger breast cancer survivors are at risk for impaired QOL up to several years after diagnosis. Younger women, especially those at high risk for lower QOL, may need interventions that specifically target their needs related to menopausal symptoms and problems with relationships, sexual functioning, and body image. Preparing younger woman for the impact of breast cancer may also prove beneficial.

Supported by grant No. R01 CA64716 from the National Cancer Institute.

Presented at the American Psychosocial Oncology Society Meeting, Orlando, FL, January 29-February 1, 2004.

Authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Lustberg and C. L. Shapiro Physical Challenges of Adult Cancer Survivors ASCO Educational Book, January 1, 2009; 2009(1): 564 - 569. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. A. Ganz and E. E. Hahn Implementing a Survivorship Care Plan for Patients With Breast Cancer J. Clin. Oncol., February 10, 2008; 26(5): 759 - 767. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Leining, S Gelber, R Rosenberg, M Przypyszny, E. Winer, and A. Partridge Menopausal-type symptoms in young breast cancer survivors Ann. Onc., December 1, 2006; 17(12): 1777 - 1782. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. R. Burwell, L. D. Case, C. Kaelin, and N. E. Avis Sexual Problems in Younger Women After Breast Cancer Surgery J. Clin. Oncol., June 20, 2006; 24(18): 2815 - 2821. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]