Original scientific paper
ASSOCIATION OF BREAST CANCER SYMPTOMS WITH PATIENTS’ QUALITY OF LIFE AND DEPRESSION; A CROATIAN CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
Robert Šeparović
orcid.org/0000-0002-4002-2699
; Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital for Tumors, University Hospital Center "Sestre milosrdnice", Zagreb, Croatia
Tajana Silovski
orcid.org/0000-0002-4699-5432
; Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital for Tumors, University Hospital Center "Sestre milosrdnice", Zagreb, Croatia
Ana Tecić Vuger
orcid.org/0000-0003-2203-161X
; Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital for Tumors, University Hospital Center "Sestre milosrdnice", Zagreb, Croatia
Žarko Bajić
orcid.org/0000-0002-7983-6892
; Psychiatric Hospital “Sveti Ivan”, Zagreb, Croatia
Hrvoje Silovski
; Department of Surgery, University Hospital Center "Zagreb", Zagreb, Croatia
Andreja Jurić
; Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital for Tumors, University Hospital Center "Sestre milosrdnice", Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Aim: To find out which symptoms are the most associated with a breast cancer patients’ quality of life (QoL) and depression.
Subjects and methods: We performed this cross-sectional study from February to April 2015 at the Department of Medical
Oncology, University Hospital for Tumors, Zagreb University Hospital Center "Sestre milosrdnice", Zagreb, Croatia on the sample of 147 breast cancer patients. Primary outcomes were EORTC QLQ-C30 version 3.0 Global QoL scale and Beck Depression Inventory II.
Results: After the adjustment for other symptoms, sociodemographic and clinical variables, fatigue (ȕ=-0.47, P<0.001), pain
(ȕ=-0.24, P=0.023), and appetite loss (ȕ=-0.18, P=0.037) were statistically significantly correlated with QoL. Fatigue was the only symptom significantly associated with depression (ȕ=0.39, P=0.006).
Conclusion: Fatigue, pain, appetite loss contributes the most to the overall breast cancer patients QoL. Although correlated,
fatigue and pain contribution to lower QoL is independent from each other. Future studies should investigate whether there is an interaction between fatigue and pain changes over course of treatment. Fatigue and number of children are positively, while age and treatment in daily hospital are negatively associated with depression measured by BDI-II.
Keywords
breast cancer; quality of life; depression; fatigue; pain; appetite
Hrčak ID:
262728
URI
Publication date:
4.4.2019.
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