Psychological assessment of women on an early breast screening program after radiotherapy to the chest wall for childhood cancer.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigates the psychological status in a population of female patients who received chest irradiation for a childhood cancer and were screened for second primary breast cancer.


METHODS
Sixty-eight consecutive such young women were included. Compilation of the Crown-Crisp Index questionnaire was requested and 49/68 patients accepted to fill it in; 14 women in the sample had children (28%).


RESULTS
Twenty-seven of 49 patients achieved a normal score, whereas in 22 the score was slightly above the normal range in at least one scale. Pathological scores were more frequent among the women without children.


CONCLUSIONS
Quality of life in this series of long-term survivors does not seem to be severely affected by previous treatment for cancer nor by the concern for the onset of a second primary malignancy.
Clerici
Carlo Alfredo
CA
Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
Fossati-Bellani
Franca
F
Lepera
Paolo
P
Gennaro
Massimiliano
M
Bergonzi
Silvana
S
Meazza
Cristina
C
Podda
Marta
M
Gandola
Lorenza
L
Veneroni
Laura
L
Casanova
Michela
M
Cefalo
Graziella
G
Ferrari
Andrea
A
Luksch
Roberto
R
Massimino
Maura
M
Polastri
Daniela
D
Spreafico
Filippo
F
Terenziani
Monica
M
D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors; D035441:Thoracic Wall / Q000528:radiation effects*