Immediately after primary treatment for breast cancer, most women have a normal level of general mental health, but they tend to have a broad range of physical symptoms that are particularly pronounced in women who had mastectomies or underwent chemotherapy, according to a study in the March 3 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

There have been many studies of the physical and emotional experiences of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, and in recent years several studies have examined the experiences of long-term cancer survivors. However, there is little information available on the experiences of women in the transitional period between treatment and survivorship, when they must move beyond cancer to reestablish normal life patterns. Information from earlier studies suggest that this can be a stressful time period: Women have reported that their fear of recurrence increases, they miss ready access to the health care system, they may have lingering side effects of therapy, and they often feel uncertain about what to expect after treatment.

"In general, oncology clinicians prepare women for the acute toxicities of breast cancer treatments, but clinicians have had only limited data on the physical and psychosocial sequelae of primary treatments," writes lead author Patricia A. Ganz, M.D., of the University of California at Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and colleagues. "Indeed, little is known about the pattern of recovery after the end of treatment."

To address this issue, Ganz and her colleagues collected information on the health status and quality of life of 558 women who had just had surgery for breast cancer. After the women completed their treatment, they were sent surveys to assess their quality of life, mood, symptoms, and sexual functioning. The investigators
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Contact: Katie Arnold
jncimedia@oupjournals.org
301-841-1287
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
2-Mar-2004