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A retrospective study of quality of life in a community sample of patients with early stage breast cancer

  • Epidemiology
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Abstract

Few studies have examined the pattern of change in quality of life (QoL) over time among patients with breast cancer, or the impact of disease recurrence on QoL. This retrospective study examined QoL among patients with stage I–IIIB breast cancer. Individual, disease and treatment characteristics were abstracted from the medical record, and linked with QoL data collected as a routine part of patient care. The sample included patients with nonrecurrent (N = 100) and recurrent (N = 19) disease, who completed 1,449 QoL assessments. Linear mixed model analysis showed that disease recurrence significantly and adversely affected QoL across all domains. QoL did not appear to deteriorate before recurrence. The pattern of adjustment after recurrence varied across QoL domains in theoretically consistent ways. Study findings suggest that patients show improvement in some areas after recurrence, but generally do not recover previous levels of QoL.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funding from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Accelerated Community Oncology Research Network, 1770 Kirby Rd., Suite 400, Memphis, TN, 38138, USA

    Mark S. Walker, Lee S. Schwartzberg & Edward J. Stepanski

  2. 4523 Ravenwood Oak Drive, Lakeland, TN, 38002, USA

    Barry V. Fortner

Authors
  1. Mark S. Walker
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  2. Lee S. Schwartzberg
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  3. Edward J. Stepanski
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  4. Barry V. Fortner
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Correspondence to Mark S. Walker.

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Walker, M.S., Schwartzberg, L.S., Stepanski, E.J. et al. A retrospective study of quality of life in a community sample of patients with early stage breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 115, 415–422 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-009-0387-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-009-0387-0

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