Volume 3(3): 066-069 (2011) - 066
J Cancer Sci Ther
ISSN:1948-5956 JCST, an open access journal
Open Access Research Article
Pakseresht et al. J Cancer Sci Ther 2011, 3:3
DOI: 10.4172/1948-5956.1000060
Keywords: Quality of life; Women; Breast cancer
Abbreviations: QOL: Quality of life; LNH: Lok Nayak Hospital;
OPD: Out Patient Department; FNAC: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytol-
ogy; QOL-CS: Quality of Life-Cancer Survivors; US: United States; UK:
United Kingdom; SD: Standard Deviation
Introduction
Te burden of breast cancer is increasing in both developed and
developing countries. [1-3]. Despite the rising incidence of breast
cancer, mortality from the disease has declined recently in some
countries, including the US and UK [4].
Breast cancer is a serious, stressful and life-threatening disease. It
is assumed that the diagnosis of cancer evokes far greater distress than
many other diseases, regardless of prognosis. Breast cancer survivors
increasingly experience long-term side efects that infuence their
quality of life [5,6]. Quality of life typically involves the assessment
of several dimensions: physical well being, psychological well-being,
social well-being, and spiritual well-being [7,8]. Although quality of
life ultimately depends on the outcome of treatment; there is always
something medical team can do to improve it even at the end of life
[9,10].
Recent advances in diagnosis and treatment of cancer have led to
an increase in cancer survival and hence, there is a greater emphasis on
quality beside quantity of survival [11]. However little is known about
the QOL of survivors. Te current study was carried out to asses the
Quality of life of women with breast cancer at the time of diagnosis.
Tis study discusses the physical, psychological, social and spiritual
well-being domains of QOL in breast cancer patients at the time of
diagnosis.
Methods
Study Design: Descriptive Study; A case series of patients studied
at the time of diagnosis.
Study Setting: Te present study was conducted at Lok Nayak
Hospital, New Delhi, India. LNH is a 1600 bedded teaching hospital
attached to Maulana Azad Medical College, located in the central
part of Delhi. Te hospital provides services to more than one million
patients per year from Delhi and neighboring states.
Study period: Te study was conducted from January 2006 to May
2007; Period of data collection was 17 months.
Study subjects: All the women with primary breast cancer, detected
in surgery Out Patient Department (OPD), were included in the study.
Inclusion criteria: All the newly detected primary breast cancer
female cases.
Exclusion criteria: Patients with past history or recurrence of
breast cancer ,patients having metastasis at the time of diagnosis,
patients with reconstructive surgery, patients with severe psychiatric
illness, patients with any other cancer.
Methodology: Te diagnosis of breast cancer was made by
the surgeon on the basis of physical examination and FNAC (Fine
Needle Aspiration Cytology)/Core Biopsy report. Afer the diagnosis,
the informed consent was taken from each of the patient and was
interviewed using pre-tested, pre-structured and semi-coded pro-
forma. Te investigator has taken the help of a trained person who
could communicate in local language with the subjects. Interview
of each patient took approximately 45 to 60 minutes to complete the
questionnaire.
*Corresponding author: Sedigheh Pakseresht, Guilan University of Medical
Sciences, Rasht, Iran, Tel: 00989113315015; E-mail: spakseresht@yahoo.com,
paksersht@yahoo.com
Received November 19, 2010; Accepted January 25, 2011; Published February
04, 2011
Citation: Pakseresht S, Ingle GK, Garg S (2011) Quality of Life of Women with
Breast Cancer at the Time of Diagnosis in New Delhi. J Cancer Sci Ther 3: 066-
069. doi:10.4172/1948-5956.1000060
Copyright: © 2011 Pakseresht S, et al. This is an open-access article distributed
under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer survivors increasingly experience long-term side effects that infuence their quality
of life. The current study was carried out to asses the Quality of life of women with breast cancer at the time of
diagnosis.
Methods: This is a descriptive study; a case series of patients studied. The study was conducted at Lok Nayak
Hospital, New Delhi, India; from January 2006 to May 2007. 172 women with new primary breast cancer were
included in the study. Quality of Life - Cancer Survivor’s (QOL-CS) instrument was used.
Results: The mean score of overall QOL was 6.04. The mean score of the social well-being was 4.61 and was
the lowest among all the domains. The mean score of spiritual well-being was 7.34, and physical well-being 7.24
and psychological well-being 4.98.
Conclusion : Among all the domains the mean score was the lowest in the social well-being. The mean score
of spiritual well-being was highest.
Quality of Life of Women with Breast Cancer at the Time of Diagnosis in
New Delhi
Pakseresht S
1
*, Ingle G K
2
and Garg S
2
1
Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
2
Department of Community Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India
Journal of
Cancer Science & Therapy
J
o
u
r
n
a
l
o
f
C
a
n
c
e
r
S
c
i
e
n
c
e
&
T
h
e
r
a
p
y
ISSN: 1948-5956