Long-term trajectory of postoperative health-related quality of life in young breast cancer patients: a 15-year follow-up study
Menée en Corée à partir de données portant sur 124 patientes atteintes d'un cancer du sein diagnostiqué entre 2004 et 2006, cette étude de cohorte analyse l'évolution de leur qualité de vie pendant les 15 ans qui suivent le diagnostic
Résumé en anglais
Purpose : Breast cancer (BC) patients often experience various long-term sequelae due to aggressive treatment. We analyzed and illustrated long-term trajectory during different phases of treatment and survivorship.
Methods : Data were obtained from a cohort of 298 BC patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2006 and were followed up until 2020. We measured HRQoL using EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-BR23, and EuroQoL-5D questionnaires and conducted eight assessments right after initial diagnosis, during treatment, post-treatment, and during survivorship phases. Linear mixed model was used to assess changes in HRQoL. Overall HRQoL measured by EQ-5D index of long-term BC survivors were further compared with that of the age-matched general population.
Results : Of 298 participants, 246 women survived and 124 participated in the long-term follow-up survey (LTFU). Overall, HRQoL functions deteriorated during treatment but gradually improved between 1- and 3-year post-diagnosis and stabilized over LTFU measure. Significant recovery was observed in physical, role, emotional, social functions, and future perspectives (p < 0.05). Treatment-related acute symptoms were reported in the first year but diminished afterward, and treatment-related financial difficulties lessened. At LTFU, BC survivors reported a high level of insomnia, fatigue, and pain and appeared to have poorer overall HRQoL than the general population (mean difference, EQ-5D index: 0.073, p < 0.001).
Conclusions : Through 15-year survivorship, BC survivors showed improvement in many aspects of HRQoL. However, some inferior aspects remain relevant for long-term survivors. Ongoing supportive programs concentrating on pain management, persistent cancer-related fatigue, and sleeping problems might aid enhance their HRQoL.