Assessing the Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Women: A Cross Sectional Descriptive Study

BACKGROUND: To assess the quality of life in Iraqi breast cancer women with regard to different Sociodemographic and medical variables. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted on 150 women diagnosed with breast cancer and being treated in Iraq. The evaluation was done by using European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire- Core- 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and QOL_BR23 Questionnaire. All data were conducted directly via hand writing by the patients at the Oncology Teaching Hospital/Medical City complex in Baghdad. When the questionnaire questions were completed by each participant, they were checked up to ensure their suitability for data insertion and then followed by the scoring manual of the EORTC questionnaire. All the data were analyzed by using SPSS. RESULTS: Most of the patients undergoing this study were at the age of ≤ 50 (52.66%), and when they were diagnosed with breast cancer, they were younger than 50 (58.66%). The global health status was high in the case of working participants compared with those who are unemployed, i.e., (p=0.035). However, the emotional status appeared to be significant in the case with the working participants (P= 0.027). Also, the global status appeared to be high in the participants receiving radiation, while it showed insignificant values with the other data. The physical functioning, on the other hand, showed significant results in many places, as in the case with the patients present with no health problems, and high results in radiation, herceptin and hormonal therapy. As for the role functioning, it showed significant results in patients without health problems, patients who underwent radiation, and patients who were free of disease for less than five yeas. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study will help identify gaps in all areas in which patients need additional support. Since the negative effects of the disease and related treatments influenced the patient’s quality of life, it has become necessary for health care providers to focus on designing social and psychological interventions to support cancer patients throughout their illness and treatment in a way that it leads to a better adaptation to their disease and improve their emotional status.