The impact of outpatient chemotherapy-related adverse events on the quality of life of breast cancer patients.
The objective of our study was to clarify the impact of adverse events associated with the initial course of outpatient chemotherapy on the quality of life of breast cancer patients. We conducted a survey to assess the quality of life in 48 breast cancer patients before and after receiving their first course of outpatient chemotherapy at Gifu Municipal Hospital. Patients completed the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions and Quality of Life Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs before and after 1 course of outpatient chemotherapy. European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions utility value and Quality of Life Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs total score decreased significantly after chemotherapy (p<0.001 and p = 0.018, respectively). The mean scores for the activity, physical condition, and psychological condition subscales of the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs decreased significantly after chemotherapy (p = 0.003, p<0.001, and p = 0.032, respectively), whereas the social relationships score increased significantly (p<0.001). Furthermore, in the evaluation of quality of life according to individual adverse events, the decrease in quality of life after chemotherapy in terms of the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions utility value and the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs total score was greater in anorexic patients than in non-anorexic patients (p = 0.009 and p<0.001, respectively). This suggests that anorexia greatly reduces quality of life. Our findings reveal that anticancer drug-related adverse events, particularly anorexia, reduce overall quality of life following the first course of outpatient chemotherapy in current breast cancer patients. These findings are extremely useful and important in understanding the impact of anticancer drug-related adverse events on quality of life.
Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacy, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan; Department of Pharmacy, Gifu Municipal Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Tomoya
T
Tachi
Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacy, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan.
Hitomi
H
Teramachi
Department of Pharmacy, Gifu Municipal Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Kazuhide
K
Tanaka
Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacy, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan.
Shoko
S
Asano
Department of Pharmacy, Gifu Municipal Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Tomohiro
T
Osawa
Department of Pharmacy, Gifu Municipal Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Azusa
A
Kawashima
Department of Pharmacy, Gifu Municipal Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Masahiro
M
Yasuda
Department of Pharmacy, Gifu Municipal Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Takashi
T
Mizui
Department of Breast Surgery, Gifu Municipal Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Takumi
T
Nakada
Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacy, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan.
Yoshihiro
Y
Noguchi
Community Health Support and Research Center, Gifu, Japan.
Teruo
T
Tsuchiya
Department of Pharmacy, Gifu Municipal Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Chitoshi
C
Goto
D000368:Aged; D000855:Anorexia / Q000209:etiology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents