The effect of rehabilitation on quality of life in female breast cancer survivors in Iran

Abstract

Background:The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of life (Qol) of female breast cancer survivors who received rehabilitation intervention beside medical care and survivors who received medical care alone.Materials and Methods:Fifty-seven female breast cancer survivors were assigned to usual medical care (control group) or to usual medical care plus rehabilitation intervention (experimental group). Qol of all patients was assessed before, 1 week and 3 months after intervention. The intervention consisted of physiotherapy, education and individual counseling. The authors used the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer core questionnaire and breast module (EORTC QLQ-C30/BR23) for the assessment of Qol.Results:Patients who received rehabilitation had significantly better Qol. Overall, mean of Qol scores improved gradually in experimental group from before to 1 week and 3 months after intervention. In contrast, minimal change was observed between pre/post and follow-up measures for control group.Conclusion:Rehabilitation after breast cancer treatment has the potential for physical, psychological and overall Qol benefits.

Effectiveness of Physiotherapy Intervention on the Quality of Life of Women with Breast Cancer who Underwent Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy.

“…These results are similar to those in other studies in which there was a statistically significant improvement at the 9th month after surgery in women with breast cancer who had the support of physiotherapy or an exercise program, when compared to women without the same type of support, in the scales of Global Health Status [24,27,52,53,54] and Arm Symptoms [54]. It should be noted that the studies by Travier et al [51] and Gordon et al [31] showed no statistically significant differences in the Global Health Status.…”

“…This matches some studies in which, in the 9th month after surgery, women with breast cancer undergoing physiotherapy or a specific exercise program presented better scores, but there were no statistically significant differences between groups, in the scales of Physical Functioning [21,31], Fatigue [21,51], and Breast Symptoms [31]. However, in other studies, in the same evaluation period, women with breast cancer who had the support of physiotherapy or an exercise program, when compared to women without that support, had statistically significant improvements in the scales of Physical Functioning [23,24,27 [21,52,53], and Breast Symptoms [27,28,30].…”

Effectiveness of Stress Management Consultation for Quality of Life and Stress of Women Suffering from Breast Cancer

“…Breast cancer is the most common and mentally effective cancer among women (Garssen et al, 2013;Pedram, Mohammadi, Naziri, & Aeinparast, 2011;Snoek & Skinner, 2006). Iranian women are affected by breast cancer an earlier decade than their peers in advanced countries and more than 70000 new cases are annually estimated in Iran (Heidari, Salahshoryan, Rafiee, & Hoseini, 2008;Porkiani et al, 2009). Every year, about one million patients suffer breast cancer in the world and 33% of cancer types are related to women, 370,000 of whom die out of it.…”

Rehabilitation Group: Benefits and Barriers in the Perspective of Women With Breast Cancer

“…A study carried out in Iran in 2010 14 comparing the quality of life of breast cancer survivors who received rehabilitation (physical therapy, education and individual counseling) and another group with isolated medical assistance, concluded, after evaluating 57 women, that in patients which rehabilitation therapy was possible, there was a gradual improvement in the overall quality of life, with minimal changes observed in the control group.…”