title: Evaluation of quality of life/life satisfaction in women with breast cancer in complementary and conventional care.
abstract: The aim was to study the perceived quality of life/life satisfaction in a sample of women with breast cancer who were treated in a hospital with alternative/complementary care and the same variables in individually matched patients who received only conventional medical treatment. A non-randomized controlled trial design with repeated measurements was used. Sixty women with breast cancer treated with anthroposophic medicine (ABCW) and 60 with conventional medicine (CBCW) were included and 36 matched pairs took part on all occasions. The quality of life was measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ). The comparisons were calculated as effect sizes (ES). The women in the ABCW group reported small or moderate effects, expressed as ES, on their quality of life/life satisfaction compared to their matched "twins" in the CBCW group at the 1-year follow-up in 15 out of 21 scales/factors. It was concluded that the women who had chosen anthroposophic care increased their perceived quality of life/life satisfaction according to the methodology of the study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Section of Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden. Marianne.Carlsson@pubcare.uu.se
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arman
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Backman
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Flatters
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hatschek
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hamrin
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000379:methods; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011336:Probability; D011788:Quality of Life; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden