Abstract

Background: Living with cancer often involves changes in the life of the breast cancer patient. Thus, the aims of this study were to measure (1) Health related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and the Sense of Coherence (SOC) changes as well as (2) to explore the predictor role of the SOC for dimensions of HRQoL over time in a sample of women with breast cancer. Methods: This is the first part of a larger study with a prospective design. It was carried out in three phases (T1 to T3) of radiotherapy (RT) in a sample of women with breast cancer (n=60). Data collection were done using four instruments, i.e., Patient Demographic-Clinical Information Questionnaire, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), the EORTC QLQ-BR23 (breast cancer module) and the SOC Scale. The data was analyzed by SPSS version 21 through Repeated Measures and Friedman tests to evaluate the changes in outcome variables over time. Multiple Linear Regression (MLRs) models were applied to examine the role of the SOC in prediction of HRQoL dimensions. Results: Descriptive results indicate that the mean age of women was 47.70 ± 8.19. Changes in dimensions of HRQoL showed that “physical functioning” (p<0.001) and “sexual enjoyment” (p<0.05) decreased over time from T1 to T3. “Nausea/vomiting” showed a fluctuation in patients (p<0.05). It decreased at T2 and increased at T3. “Patients' fatigue” (p<0.05) and “financial difficulties” (p<0.05) worsened from T1 to T3. But, the SOC didn’t show a significant change over time (p=0.603). The MLR analyses showed that some dimensions of HRQoL at T1 could predict the same dimensions at T3 ((p<0.001). The SOC of the patients at T3 could predict changes in the patients’ fatigue over time during the RT period (p<0.05). Conclusions: Health care providers, especially nurses should have a holistic perspective to breast cancer patients and measure their HRQoL and SOC during the RT courses. They can design intervention programs from the beginning of the RT and integrating it into the care plan of the patients.