The aim of this study was to review the literature on quality of life among long-term survivors of breast cancer and identify the specific aspects of quality of life that were affected in these survivors. We also describe predictors of quality of life. Published research reports were included if they described the quality of life of breast cancer survivors diagnosed at least five years earlier. The methodological quality of the 10 selected studies, conducted between 1997 and 2004, was high according to a list of predefined criteria. Most studies reported that long-term survivors of breast cancer experienced good overall quality of life. However, almost all studies reported that breast cancer survivors experienced some specific problems (e.g., a thick and painful arm and problems with sexual functioning). The current medical condition, amount of social support and current income level were strong positive predictors of quality of life, and the use of adjuvant chemotherapy emerged as a negative predictor. More research on the specific medical and psychosocial needs of survivors is needed in order to be able to design appropriate intervention studies. If anything, this review shows that focusing on the long-term effects of breast cancer is important when evaluating the full extent of cancer treatment.

Background: Providing information that is congruent with patients’ needs is an important determinant for patient satisfaction and might also affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and anxiety and depression levels of cancer survivors.Design: The authors systematically reviewed the available literature on the relationship between information provision and HRQoL, anxiety and depression. A PubMed literature search for original articles published until February 2010 was carried out. Twenty-five articles, all conducted between 1996 and 2009, which met the predefined inclusion criteria, were subjected to a quality checklist.Results: Satisfied patients, patients with fulfilled information needs, and patients who experience less information barriers, in general have a better HRQoL and less anxiety and depression. Out of eight intervention studies that aimed to improve information provision, only one showed a positive association with better HRQoL.Conclusion: Health care providers must pay more attention to patient-centred information provision. Additional research is needed to make definitive conclusions about information interventions as most results did not reach statistical significance due to methodological constraints. The quick development of the relatively young research field of patient-reported outcomes in cancer survivorship will make it possible to conduct better quality studies in the future.

The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence of diabetes among newly diagnosed cancer patients and to evaluate the influence of diabetes on stage at diagnosis, treatment and overall survival. We performed a population‐based analyses of all 58,498 cancer patients newly diagnosed between 1995 and 2002 in the registration area of the Eindhoven Cancer Registry. Stage of cancer, cancer treatment and comorbidities were actively collected by hospital medical records review. Follow‐up of all patients was completed until January 1, 2005. Nine percent of all cancer patients had diabetes at the time of cancer diagnosis. The prevalence of diabetes was highest among patients with cancer of the pancreas (19%), uterus (14%) and among young men with kidney cancer (8%). Colon, breast and ovarian cancer patients with diabetes were more often diagnosed with a higher tumour stage (p < 0.05). Patients with diabetes and cancer of the oesophagus, colon, breast and ovary were treated less aggressively compared to those without diabetes (p < 0.05). During the follow‐up period 3,902 of 5,555 cancer patients with diabetes died and 29,909 of 52,943 cancer patients without diabetes died. For all cancers combined, in a multivariate cox‐regression model, adjusting for age, gender, stage, treatment and cardiovascular disease, patients with diabetes experienced a significant increase in overall mortality (HR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.40–1.49), ranging however from 0 to 40% for different types of cancer, compared to those without diabetes. In conclusion, diabetic cancer patients frequently were treated less aggressively and had a worse prognosis compared to those without diabetes. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.