Quality of Life Assessment of Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Purpose: Breast cancer patients are subjected to many hardships during chemotherapy which negatively affects the patient's quality of life. The current study was conducted to identify aspects with low scores and produce untoward effects on the quality of life. Results: The results of the study showed that the social functioning domain achieved high quality of life mean score of 76.68 ± 32.94 while emotional functioning attained 38.18 ± 29.61. The most apparent symptoms detected were insomnia and fatigue followed by pain and loss of appetite. Regarding EORTC-BR45, higher score and better quality of life were observed in the body image domain with a mean score of 60.72 ± 37.19, while the future perspective domain achieved low quality of life of 35.41 ± 42.9, and the most obvious symptom for patients was upset by hair loss. Conclusion: The results of the study showed the impact of chemotherapy on the lives of patients and highlighted the aspects that need greater focus by healthcare providers in Jordan. In addition to providing treatment, emotional and psychological support are necessary to improve the quality of life for these women.