Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Breast Cancer Research and Treatment https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-018-4750-x REVIEW Health‑related quality of life of Iranian breast cancer patients: a meta‑analysis and systematic review Salehoddin Bouya 1  · Maryam koochakzai 2  · Hosein Raiemanesh 3,4  · Abbas Balouchi 5,6  · Saiyeh Taheri 5  · Mahin Badakhsh 2  · Mahnaz Didehvar 7 Received: 6 March 2018 / Accepted: 9 March 2018 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract Purpose Quality of life is the most important psychological factor afecting breast cancer patients. This study aimed to examine the health related quality of life of breast cancer patients in Iran. Methods International (PubMed, Web of science, Scopus and Google scholar) and national (SID, Magiran) databases were searched for related studies to September 2017. The quality of the articles was evaluated using the Hoy tool. Results Out of 232 initial studies, 18 studies performed on 2263 people were included in the inal stage of the study. Based on the EORTC-QLQ-C30 and random efect method, the pooled mean score of quality of life in 1073 people was 57.88 (95% CI 48.26–67.41, I 2 = 97.90%) and the pooled mean score of quality of life based on WHOQOL-BREF in 357 people was 66.79 (95% CI 45.96–87.62, I 2 = 99.50%). Conclusion According to the results of the study, a moderate level of quality of life in women with breast cancer was indi- cated. Therefore, the use of multidimensional approaches can improve their quality of life. Keywords Quality of life · Breast Cancer · Iran · Systematic review Introduction Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women world- wide [1]. In Iran, breast cancer accounts for 32% of can- cers among women [2]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1.1 million new cases of breast cancer are detected among women annually [3]. This igure includes 10% of all new cancer cases and 23% of all women’s cancers [4]. The age-speciic incidence of breast cancer is 67.8, 23.8, and 37.5 per 100,000 women in developed countries, less developed countries, and in the whole world, respectively [5]. Being female and growing older are two important and unchangeable risks for breast cancer; thus, the control and prevention of breast cancer is a serious problem regarding women’s health [6]. Almost 70% of Iranian women with breast cancer are diagnosed in the advanced stages, when it is too late for successful treatment [6]. This cancer is potentially life-threatening, and its diagnosis and treatment can have signiicant efects on the physical, psychosocial, and inancial life of patients [7]. Additionally, invasive and prolonged treatment dimin- ishes the ability to enjoy life in many cases [8]. Today, patients want not only better survival rates, but also more * Mahin Badakhsh Badakhshmahin@gmail.com 1 Clinical Immunology Research Center, Ali-ebne Abitaleb Hospital, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran 2 Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Zabol University of Medical Science, Zabol, Iran 3 Student Research Committee, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 4 Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 5 Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran 6 Student Research Committee, Nursing and Midwifery School, University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 7 Midwifery Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iranshahr University of Medical Sciences, Iranshahr, Iran