Health-related quality of life of breast cancer patients in Iran: pooled analysis using generalized estimating equations.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of current study was to evaluate the changes of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its clinical, demographic and socioeconomic determinants during chemotherapy and 4 months follow-up in women with breast cancer using a repeated measures framework.


METHODS
A double blind cohort study was performed in 100 breast cancer patients given fluorouracil, doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (FAC) or docetaxel, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide (TAC) in south of Iran. HRQoL was assessed at baseline, end of chemotherapy and four months thereafter using the QLQ-C30 questionnaire from European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) was applied for statistical analysis.


RESULTS
The mean of age at baseline was 48.5±10.6. 70% and 14% of patients were married and smokers, respectively, and 20% suffered from another disease besides breast cancer. The results of GEE showed that after control for baseline scores, the HRQoL significantly improved over time. Although, the patients in FAC group had higher scores than the TAC group, the differences also diminished over time. Smoking, marital status and having child affected some scales of HRQoL. None of other variables were significantly related to HRQoL.


CONCLUSIONS
Although patients in TAC groups had lower level of HRQoL over 8 months follow up, they experienced faster improvement than the FAC group. This implies that in long-term, improvements in TAC group are higher than FAC. Having children was positively correlated with HRQoL. Generally, there were no demographic and socio-economic differences in HRQoL in these patients between the chemotherapeutic regimens.
Division of Health Economics, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmo, Sweden. Aliasghar.Ahmad_Kiadaliri@med.lu.se
Aliasghar
A
Ahmad Kiadaliri
Peivand
P
Bastani
Hossein
H
Ibrahimipour
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D005472:Fluorouracil