Predictors of Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Patients

Introduction & Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the quality of life and its predictors in Iranian women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy for designing appropriate interventions to improve the patients’ quality of life. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 190 women with breast cancer who referred to the oncology centers of Arak, Iran, for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling method from April to July 2017. Data were collected using Demographic and disease characteristics questionnaires, Quality of Life-Cancer 30, Quality of Life-Breast Cancer 23, Illness Perception Questionnaire and Supportive Care Needs Survey –Short Form 34. Multivariate linear regression was used to analyze the data. Results: The mean (standard deviation) score of cancer quality of life was 57.1 (25.8). The mean scores of the symptom and functional domains of breast cancer quality of life were 43.3 (17.9) and 44.3 (21.7), respectively. Predictive variables for cancer quality of life were spouse’s education, insurance coverage, type of surgery, type of treatment, supportive care needs and illness perception. Predictive variables for the symptoms’ domain of breast cancer quality of life were spouse’s education, income status, supportive care needs and illness perception and for its functional domain, predictive variables were the type of surgery, spouse’s age, supportive care needs and illness perception. Conclusion: Meeting the supportive care needs and helping to understand the curative nature of cancer are some of the intervenable variables in improving quality of life of women with breast cancer.