Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To correlate performance on the various scales of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (eortc) general (qlq-C30) and breast-specific (BR23) quality-of-life (qol) questionnaires according to the degree of fatigue for long-term disease-free premenopausal breast cancer patients. METHODOLOGY: Two equally distributed groups of patients were defined according to a fatigue score of less than or more than 22.2 on the qlq-C30. Performances on other qol scales were compared between the groups using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (rho). Functional scores of 100 indicate best performance, and symptom scales of 100 indicate worst symptom burden. RESULTS: Among the 214 patients tested, mean fatigue scores were 3.4 and 42.6 in the low and high fatigue-score groups. The group with lower fatigue scores presented significantly better (p = 0.0001) mean scores on the following functioning scales of qlq-C30: physical (95.4 vs. 79.1), role (96.5 vs. 73.9), emotional (87.6 vs. 62.3), cognitive (94.9 vs. 73.2), social (97.0 vs. 73.2), and overall (83.3 vs. 55.3). Mean scores of symptom burden were significantly better (p = 0.0001) for emesis (0 vs. 8.4), pain (5.6 vs. 37.9), dyspnea (0.8 vs. 11.7), insomnia (17.1 vs. 47.3), appetite loss (2.4 vs. 14.6), diarrhea (0.6 vs. 10.6), and financial problems (4.1 vs. 25.9). Scores were significantly better (p = 0.001) in qlq-BR23 for body image (90.0 vs. 71.8), future perspective (76.8 vs. 50.0), and sexual functioning (31.2 vs. 22.3, p = 0.006). Also (p = 0.0001) for arm (10.2 vs. 29.3) and breast (8.6 vs. 23.6) symptoms, systemic therapy side effects (11.8 vs. 30.3), and upset by hair loss (8.6 vs. 26.9, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Fatigue is correlated with worse functional and symptom scores on the eortc general and breast qol questionnaires for survivors of premenopausal breast cancer.