Quality of life in Chilean breast cancer survivors

Background: Quality of Life (QOL) assessment may evaluate the impact of diseases and their treatment on the overall well-being of patients. Aim: To assess QOL in Chilean breast cancer survivors. Patients and Methods: Ninety one female breast cancer patients aged 60 10 years, who finished their oncologic treatment at least a year prior to the assessment, who were disease free and in medical follow-up were included in the study. They completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 core questionnaire and the breast cancer module QLQ-BR23. Results: Forty eight percent of respondents were long term survivors (more than five years). Global QOL scores were high (73.6 +/- 18.2), emotional scale had the lowest scores in QLQ-C30 functional scales (72.1). Symptoms with the highest scores were: Insomnia (= 21.2), pain (= 20.8), and fatigue (= 19.1). Body image, sexual function, and concern about the future were the most relevant problems. Body image was superior in patients with breast-conserving surgery (p = 0.008), and cognitive function was better in patients in early disease stage (p = 0.03) and in those with more than five years of survival (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Even when global QOL scores were high, some symptoms were prevalent. Awareness about these problems and symptoms should improve their diagnosis and treatment.