Introduction: The relevance of the research is on the one hand associated with improvement of medical technologies for oncological diseases treatment contributing to increasing the patients' life expectancy, which leads to an increase of the actual quantity of oncological patients. On the other hand, it is due to worsening of the quality of life of patients having malignant tumors depending both on treatment methods and the patients' mental and emotional condition. Objective: This paper is aimed at finding psychological personal determinants that create scientific bases to allow using subjective psychological factors alongside with medical practice in working with cancer patients for improving their quality of life. Methods: The leading approach to studying this problem is the systemic and subject-based approach that allows taking an integral view of subject and personal characteristics of oncological patients. Various questionnaires focused on the coping behavior, viability and control were used as psychodiagnostic techniques for assessing the subject and personal characteristics. Results: In the paper, a review of studies is presented that deal with psychological particularities of women having breast cancer, and psychological features women with breast cancer distinguishing them from healthy women are described. As a result of the research conducted, it has been found there are personal and subjective particularities of self-control, subjective control and viability in women having breast cancer distinguishing them from healthy women. Conclusion: The materials of the paper are of practical importance for practicing psychologists who monitor and adjust the treatment process both in terms of oncologists and of psychological support, which gives the opportunity to adjust treatment methods up to the patient's mental and emotional condition.

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Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. The specific situation of the disease at certain stages, for example, at the stage of remission and the fourth stage, may contribute to the manifestation of certain psychological characteristics in cancer patients, which can be considered as personal resources for the adaptation of women with breast cancer to the disease situation. It is assumed that the complex of psychological characteristics studied in the study makes it possible to fully reflect the adaptive potential of a person in overcoming a difficult life situation, including one associated with a life-threatening disease. Objective. To study the psychological characteristics of women diagnosed with breast cancer at the stage of remission and the fourth stage. Materials and methods. The study involved 140 women aged 26 to 80 years. The study included patients with stage 4 (N=42) and women with remission from 6 months (N=98). Survey methods were used as research methods: the scale of basic beliefs (adaptation by M. A. Padun, A.V. Kotelnikova); the test of life orientations (adaptation by D.A. Tsiring, K.Yu. Evnina); the test of resilience (adaptation by D. Leontiev); questionnaire of subjective control (adaptation by E.F. Bazhin, S.A. Golynkin, A.M. Etkind); questionnaire of personal helplessness (D.A. Tsiring, A.V. Stepanenko); questionnaire "Subjective age of a person" (adaptation by E.A. Sergienko); subjective assessment of quality of life (questionnaire SF-36). Methods of mathematical processing: primary descriptive statistics, comparative analysis (U-Mann-Whitney criterion). Results. Psychological features of women with breast cancer at stage 4 were found, distinguishing them from women with breast cancer at the stage of remission in terms of the picture of the world, indicators of quality of life, personal helplessness-independence, subjective control, resilience. Conclusion. The data obtained indicate the presence of a special complex of psychological characteristics that occurs at a certain stage of the disease, and reflects the adaptive potential of women with breast cancer in overcoming a difficult life situation associated with a lifethreatening disease.

Background. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed and life-threatening cancer in women worldwide. Since the disease diagnosis and treatment have improved greatly over time, quality of life has become an important outcome measure in breast cancer clinical investigations. The goal of the study was to analyze quality of life in women with breast cancer and to conduct a meta-analysis of data indicating the need for psychological support aimed at improving the quality of life in breast cancer patients. Material and methods. The study involved 186 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer no earlier than 6 months from the date of the survey. All patients had a luminal type of tumor. To study the quality of life of women with breast cancer, the sf-36 (36-item short-Form Health survey) questionnaire recommended by the international protocol was used. Results. Comparative analysis of standardized indicators of the quality of life indicats that the quality of life of women with breast cancer is significantly lower than that of women from the population (p<0.05). This result requires attention from both social/psychological services and physicians, due to the fact that the general indicator of the quality of life is associated with the prognosis of survival. The essence of providing psychological support to women with breast cancer is not only to alleviate their moral and psychological suffering, but also to enhance the effect of treatment and, as a result, increase survival. The authors come to the conclusion that it is necessary to include psychological rehabilitation programs in the protocol for treating women with breast cancer to enhance the effect of treatment, improve the quality of life.