Significant negative impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in women with breast cancer treated by conserving surgery and postoperative 3-D radiotherapy. A prospective measurement.
OBJECTIVE
To prospectively assess health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in women after conserving surgery for breast cancer during/after postoperative 3-D radiotherapy.


METHODS
109 consecutively treated patients were analyzed. HR-QoL was assessed at initiation (t1), end (t2), and 6 weeks after radiotherapy (t3) using the EORTC modules QLQ-C30/BR23. Patients were divided into three therapy groups. Group I comprised 41 patients (radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy), group II 45 patients (radiotherapy and adjuvant hormonal therapy), and group III 23 patients (radiotherapy alone). Reliability was tested. Scale means were calculated. Univariate (ANOVA) and multivariate (MANCOVA) analyses were performed.


RESULTS
Reliability testing revealed mean Cronbach's alpha> 0.70 at all measurement points. ANOVA/MANCOVA statistics revealed significantly better HR-QoL for patients in group II versus I. Patients receiving radiotherapy alone (group III) showed the best results in HR-QoL. However, scale mean differences between groups II and III were not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
HR-QoL measurement using EORTC instruments during/after radiotherapy is reliable. Adjuvant chemotherapy significantly lowered HR-QoL versus hormones or radiotherapy alone. Chemotherapy patients did not recover longitudinally (from t1 to t3).
Galalae
Razvan M
RM
Clinic for Radiation Therapy (Radiooncology), University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany. galalae@onco.uni-kiel.de
Michel
Jan
J
Siebmann
Jens Ullrich
JU
Küchler
Thomas
T
Eilf
Kirsten
K
Kimmig
Bernard
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003071:Cognition; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012919:Social Behavior