Quality of life of women with breast cancer undergoing treatment and follow-up at King Salman Armed Forces Hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Background: Assessment of quality of life can significantly impact the diagnosis and treatment course of breast cancer, resulting in a better prognosis among patients. However, very limited data are available regarding quality of life among breast cancer patients in Saudi Arabia. Objective: To determine the quality of life of women with breast cancer referred to the Surgery Department of King Salman Armed Forces Hospital for treatment and follow-up. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study used a questionnaire to assess the quality of life of 96 adult Saudi female patients diagnosed with breast cancer from January 2016 to September 2017. Results: One-third of the surveyed patients (31.3%) were >48 years of age, and 29.2% were in the 18- to 27-year age group. Regarding marital status, 35.4% of the women were married and 8.3% were single. The highest score was observed for the physical well-being subscale (7.65±071), followed by the spiritual well-being subscale (7.19±0.66), psychological well-being scale (7.09±0.30) and social concerns subscale (7.02±0.41). Age, marital status and cancer stage differed remarkably (P=0.00) for the physical well-being subscale scores. Meanwhile, employed women differed significantly (P=0.01) in terms of psychological well-being compared to those who were not employed. The social well-being subscale score of single and married women was significantly higher than that of widowed and divorced women. Women who underwent radiation and immunotherapy had significantly higher scores for the spiritual well-being subscale. Conclusions: Scores were determined for the physical, spiritual, psychological and social well-being scales. Age, marital status and cancer stage significantly influenced the physical well-being scale; the occupation status of the patients significantly impacted the psychological well-being scale. Social well-being can be predicted by marital status, and chemotherapy and radiation significantly impacted the spiritual well-being scale.