Postoperative Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study at a Tertiary Care Hospital of North India

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in India.Due to improvements that have led to higher survival rates, survivorship and quality of life (QoL) have become important goals for care.The aim of the study was to determine the effect of age, stage of the disease, and histopathological type of breast cancer on QoL in patients undergoing surgical intervention for breast cancer.Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a tertiary care institution in North India from 2016 to 2022.This study included 200 women who had definitive surgery (either breast conserving surgery (BCS) or modified radical mastectomy (MRM)) with histological confirmation.QoL was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire BR23 (EORTC QLQ-BR23) across the physical, functional, cognitive, emotional, and social domains.Result: A total of 200 patients were enrolled in the study.At diagnosis, the mean age was 45.3 ± 12.1 years; 46.5% were premenopausal.Most presented with an advanced stage of disease, with the majority presenting as Stage III (66%).Patients with breast-conserving surgery (10.5%) reported significantly better quality of life than patients with mastectomy in all areas (p < 0.001).Adjuvant radiotherapy was correlated with higher physical (61.6 ± 3.5), cognitive (5.8 ± 0.4), and social (10.5 ± 0.5) scores than non-recipients, with all three showing a significant association (p < 0.001).Conclusion: The findings emphasize the necessity to integrate QoL assessments into routine oncologic care, especially in resource-limited settings, to improve the overall well-being of breast cancer survivors.