Impact of Different Adjuvant Therapy Strategies on Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Primary breast cancer treatment includes various combinations of surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy (Harris et al. 1992). The multimodal treatment of breast cancer improves survival outcome (Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group 1992), but it also contributes to a prolonged period of medical intervention with associated physical and emotional sequelae. The literature describes a wide range of disruptions in day-to-day living because of a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment (Meyerowitz et al. 1983, 1998; Ganz et al. 1987; Schag et al. 1993; Rowland and Massie 1996). Many treatment-related physical and psychosocial problems resolve during the first year of follow-up (Schag et al. 1993; Ganz et al. 1992a; Wolberg et al. 1989; Maunsell et al. 1989; Vinokur et al. 1990; Tasmuth et al. 1996; Hürny et al. 1996). However, in one study, sexual problems did not resolve during the year after breast cancer diagnosis (Ganz et al. 1992a), and were noted to worsen during further follow-up (Ganz et al. 1996).