Menopausal Symptoms in Breast Cancer Survivors; Prevalence and Impact on Quality of Life
Keywords:
Breast cancer survivors, Menopausal symptoms, Quality of lifeAbstract
Objectives: To study the prevalence of menopausal symptoms and quality of life in breast cancer survivors comparing to age-matched healthy female volunteers.
Method: From July 2004 to March 2005, a cross-sectional study was performed among samples of breast cancer survivors in Breast Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital. One group for comparison was conducted on healthy women of the same age. Their menopausal symptoms were measured by using the Menopause Rating Scale. The menopause-specific questionnaire was used to evaluate their quality of life.
Results: A total of 97 breast cancer survivors and 95 age-matched healthy women completed the questionnaire. The study group had significantly experienced depressive symptoms more frequently than the control group. Comparing the median scores of quality of life between two groups, there was no significant difference except that vasomotor domain was higher in breast cancer survivors.
Conclusion: All breast cancer survivors had experienced menopausal symptoms which negatively correlated with their quality of life. Depressive mood was found more commonly comparing to women without breast cancer.
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