A Study of Factors Affecting Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients in a Tertiary Care Centre

Background Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers among females across the globe. The impact of breast cancer and its treatment on patients' quality of life (QoL) is a significant concern. Therefore, it is critical to assess the potential underlying factors that significantly contribute to the QoL in these patients. Objective To determine the level of QoL of breast cancer patients and assess how QoL can impact their physical, mental, social, functional, additional well-being and their socio-demographic factors. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from August 1, 2022, to July 31, 2024, at a tertiary care centre in Maharashtra. The study included 120 women who were above 18 years of age with breast carcinoma and undergoing chemotherapy post-mastectomy. Participants were assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast (FACT-B) questionnaire to evaluate their quality of life. Factors like socio-demographic variables, physical, emotional, social and functional well-being were analysed by using chi-square test for the assessment of quality of life. Results Total of 120 women with mean age of 42.5 (SD±11.8) years were studied. Among them 61.67% were aged between 30-50 years, 94.17% of them were married 43.33% were illiterate, 51.67% had a lower socioeconomic status. FACT-B scores showed that Physical Well-Being had the lowest mean score (2.71±1.29), whereas Emotional Well-Being had the highest (1.92±1.24). Among sociodemographic factors age showed a significant association with QoL (p-0.045) while there was no significant association with marital status, educational status, or socioeconomic status. Conclusions The study underscores the diverse effects of BC on various aspects of QoL. The study highlights that individual patient characteristics, particularly age, may play a more prominent role in influencing QoL outcomes in BC patients.