Factores determinantes en la calidad de vida de las mujeres supervivientes de cáncer de mama

Abstract

Objectives

To measure the quality of life of women breast cancer (BC) survivors and to detect differences according to clinical and sociodemographic variables.

Design

Cross-sectional observational study from May to August 2024.

Placement

Spain.

Participants

Women BC survivors, selected by non-probabilistic purposive sampling, from the database of the Spanish Association Against Cancer.

Main measurements

Self-administered form that included the validated Quality of Life in Adult Cancer Survivors questionnaire along with a series of questions referring to clinical and sociodemographic variables. A descriptive analysis was performed and the mean scores of the scale domains were compared by Student's t-test and one-factor analysis of variance.

Results

A total of 1293 women participated. The total score of the Quality of Life in Adult Cancer Survivors and most of its domains decreased significantly as both the age of the BC survivors and the time elapsed since completion of primary treatment increase. In addition, participants who were receiving hormone treatment reported worse quality of life at the time of the interview. The concern that a family member will be diagnosed with cancer is very frequent and remains constant for almost all groups.

Conclusions

Differences among BC survivors highlight the need for personalized comprehensive care, helping professionals and patients to make informed decisions, reducing oncologic impact and improving quality of life in the short and long term.