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Multiple Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life in Early Stage Breast Cancer. Data from a Year Follow-up Study Compared with the General Population

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Abstract

Prospective longitudinal health-related quality of life (QOL) data from 161 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer were compared to age-adjusted mean QOL scores from a general female population (n=949). In addition, multiple factors (demographic, personality trait, participation in treatment decision-making, information satisfaction, and medical data), which previous research has indicated affect the QOL of breast cancer patients, were simultaneously investigated in a multivariate model, in order to determine which of these variables have the strongest influence on QOL one year after surgery. QOL was evaluated with the EORTC QLQ-C30 at time of diagnosis, three- and 12-months postoperatively. Women with breast cancer scored significantly lower on emotional, cognitive, and social functioning (p < 0.01) at time of diagnosis compared to the general female population, and continued to score lower on cognitive (p=0.008) and social (p=0.009) functioning one-year after surgery. In addition to the initial QOL, breast conservation surgery was predictive of better physical functioning (p=0.01) and body image (p < 0.0001), while chemotherapy was predictive for poorer role functioning (p=0.01) one year after surgery. Dispositional optimism was predictive for better emotional (p=0.003) and social functioning (p=0.01) one year after surgery. At time of diagnosis and throughout the post-diagnosis period, dispositional optimism was associated with better QOL and fewer symptoms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Surgical Department, Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

    Inger Schou, Øivind Ekeberg, Leif Sandvik, Marianne J. Hjermstad & Cornelia M. Ruland

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  1. Inger Schou
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  2. Øivind Ekeberg
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  3. Leif Sandvik
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  4. Marianne J. Hjermstad
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  5. Cornelia M. Ruland
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Correspondence to Inger Schou.

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Schou, I., Ekeberg, Ø., Sandvik, L. et al. Multiple Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life in Early Stage Breast Cancer. Data from a Year Follow-up Study Compared with the General Population. Qual Life Res 14, 1813–1823 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-005-4344-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-005-4344-z

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