The purpose of this study was to identify subgroups of quality of life (QOL) changes in breast cancer survivors (BCSs), and to determine factors associated with subgroups of consistently low or deteriorated QOL. We enrolled 101 women recently diagnosed with breast cancer in South Korea and asked them to complete a questionnaire at baseline (within 1 month of diagnosis), 1 year later (Year 1), 2 years later (Year 2), and 3 years later (Year 3). We assessed QOL using the global QOL subscale from the EORTC QLQ-C30. We defined low QOL as a global QOL score 10 points below the mean score of the general population. Based on low QOL as defined in this study, we identified subgroups of QOL changes over 3 years. We identified four subgroups of QOL changes: improved (47.4%), stable (30%), continuously low (8.8%), and deteriorated (13.8%), and considered the last two categories (22.6%) poor QOL. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that significant determinants of poor QOL were insomnia at Year 1, fatigue and anxiety at Year 2, and fatigue, depression, and comorbidity at Year 3. In conclusion, persistent symptoms of insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and comorbidity are potential risk factors for poor QOL in BCSs.
本研究旨在识别乳腺癌幸存者生活质量变化的亚组，并确定与持续低生活质量或生活质量恶化亚组相关的因素。我们在韩国招募了101名近期确诊的乳腺癌女性患者，要求她们在基线期（确诊后1个月内）、1年后（第1年）、2年后（第2年）和3年后（第3年）分别完成问卷调查。采用EORTC QLQ-C30量表中的整体生活质量子量表评估生活质量，将低于普通人群平均分10分定义为低生活质量。基于此定义，我们识别出三年间生活质量变化的亚组模式。研究发现生活质量变化存在四个亚组：改善型（47.4%）、稳定型（30%）、持续低水平型（8.8%）和恶化型（13.8%），其中后两类（合计22.6%）被界定为不良生活质量。逻辑回归分析显示，第1年的失眠症状、第2年的疲劳与焦虑症状、第3年的疲劳、抑郁及合并症是导致不良生活质量的重要决定因素。结论表明，失眠、疲劳、焦虑、抑郁等持续症状及合并症是乳腺癌幸存者生活质量恶化的潜在风险因素。
Factors Associated with Poor Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家