Late effects of adjuvant chemotherapy and postoperative radiotherapy on quality of life among breast cancer patients

Abstract

Late effects of adjuvant treatment on perceived health and quality of life were assessed through a questionnaire mailed to 448 premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer patients, free from recurrence 2-10 years after primary therapy. The patients had been randomised to postoperative radiotherapy or adjuvant chemotherapy as adjuncts to primary surgery. The differences between the two treatments were generally small. However, the radiotherapy patients had significantly greater problems with decreased stamina, symptoms related to the operation scar and anxiety. The chemotherapy patients had significantly more problems with smell aversion. Activity level inside and outside the home, anxiousness and depressive symptoms were similar in both groups. The chemotherapy patients scored their overall quality of life higher than the radiotherapy patients.