Abstract P4-01-02: QUALITY OF LIFE IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY IN A BRAZILIAN CANCER CENTER: THE IMPACT ON YOUNG WOMEN

Abstract Introduction: Quality of life/QoL is a subjective concept assessed from the patient's perspective, which encompasses physical, social and emotional functions of individuals. In recent decades, this concept has become an important outcome measure in breast cancer/BC patients, as it is the most frequent malignant neoplasm in women worldwide and due to the evolution in treatments, enabling an increase in the cure and survival rates of these patients. Objectives: To evaluate the quality of life of patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy at a Brazilian Cancer Center. Methods: Prospective cohort study carried out between 2022 and 2023 at A.C. Camargo Cancer Center. The study included 149 participants with non-metastatic breast cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy; all of them signed an informed consent form approved by the local Research Ethics Committee. The study participants filled in assessment instruments, the "Psychosocial Well-being/PWB", "Sexual Well-being/SWB" and "Breast Satisfaction/BS" scales, translated into Portuguese, from the BREAST_Q Portfolio (https://qportfolio.org/breast-q/). Data was collected at M0 (pre-CT), M1 (halfway through the protocol) and M2 (end of CT). For the analysis of the scale scores, we considered p < 0.05. Results: Of the 149 women included, around 74.% were between 45-59 years of age; almost 70.0% were married or had a partner; 72.0% reported having some religion and 82.6% had at least a university degree. As for BC, almost half were Stage II (47.0%), of which 59.7% were T2 and 41.6% had a positive axilla (N+); 94.0% were invasive ductal carcinoma; 50.3% had B luminal tumors and 42.2% were triple negative. The median score on the "PWB" scale fell from 80 to 60 over the course of treatment (p<0.05); on the "SWB" scale, the reduction was from 62.5 to 45 (p<0.05). On the "BS" scale, there was a reduction from 81 to 68, but p>0.05. We checked whether education, marital status, religion and immunophenotype had an impact on the various scales, but all the analyses showed p>0.05. For the "SWB" scale, age was not significant either. For the "PWB" scale, there was a significant reduction for all ages (p<0.05); the greatest impact on QoL was between 45-59 years, with a 19-point reduction in the score over the course of treatment. In addition, we noted that on this scale, the final median score after treatment remained higher among women aged 60+ compared to younger women, up to 44 years old (p<0.05). The same happened with the "BS" scale. Discussion and Conclusion: In this study, we were able to observe the impact of CT on the QoL of women with BC. The reduction was already noticeable in the first assessment after starting treatment (M1), and became more pronounced at the end of treatment (M2). Chemotherapy treatment is responsible for changes in a woman's external image, but it is also responsible for transforming the perception of her internal image, i.e. the image a woman has of herself, which is subjective and corresponds to her identity. These bodily changes remind women of their illness, affecting their sense of femininity and self-esteem. This has been demonstrated especially in younger women, who seem to be more affected by image-related symptoms. The impact on quality of life can even reduce the effectiveness of self-care and symptom management. Thus, identifying early on and taking on board the subjective and individual aspects of each woman will enable personalized care for the needs of the cancer journey. Citation Format: Fabiana Makdissi, Isabela Rodrigues Neves, Silvana Soares Dos Santos, Solange Moraes Sanches. QUALITY OF LIFE IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY IN A BRAZILIAN CANCER CENTER: THE IMPACT ON YOUNG WOMEN [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2024; 2024 Dec 10-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2025;31(12 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-01-02.