{"title":"Quality of life of women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy at a tertiary Hospital in Ghana","authors":"Amos Azure , Wahab Osman , Dzigbordi Kpikpitse","doi":"10.1016/j.ijans.2026.101016","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The most important treatment outcome for breast cancer patients is quality of life. It aids in assessing nursing and medical interventions, providing useful information about patients’ preferences, prognosis, and the adverse effects of cancer treatment. In countries with a high human development index, chemotherapy has been shown to negatively affect the quality of life (QoL) of women. There is limited data on the QoL of women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy in Tamale Teaching Hospital in Ghana, and therefore, this study was undertaken.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>An institution-based, cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted. After obtaining ethics approval, a survey involving 85 women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy was completed between April and July 2022. Data were collected using adapted versions of the EORTC-QLQ C30 and EORTC-QLQ-BR45 questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, means, and standard deviations (SD), were calculated using SPSS version 25.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The women’s quality of life was poor, with a score of 55 (SD ± 25), and they experienced varying levels of impairment in their physical functioning, 67 (SD ± 32), role functioning, 68 (SD ± 33), emotional functioning, 69 (SD ± 31), and social functioning, 45 (SD ± 37). All women faced financial difficulties (100%), and 83.5% reported that this was a significant burden.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Integrating QoL screening and tackling financial toxicity can transform breast cancer care and outcomes in Ghana and similar LMICs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38091,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101016"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214139126000430","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/2/2 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"Nursing","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
The most important treatment outcome for breast cancer patients is quality of life. It aids in assessing nursing and medical interventions, providing useful information about patients’ preferences, prognosis, and the adverse effects of cancer treatment. In countries with a high human development index, chemotherapy has been shown to negatively affect the quality of life (QoL) of women. There is limited data on the QoL of women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy in Tamale Teaching Hospital in Ghana, and therefore, this study was undertaken.
Methods
An institution-based, cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted. After obtaining ethics approval, a survey involving 85 women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy was completed between April and July 2022. Data were collected using adapted versions of the EORTC-QLQ C30 and EORTC-QLQ-BR45 questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, means, and standard deviations (SD), were calculated using SPSS version 25.
Results
The women’s quality of life was poor, with a score of 55 (SD ± 25), and they experienced varying levels of impairment in their physical functioning, 67 (SD ± 32), role functioning, 68 (SD ± 33), emotional functioning, 69 (SD ± 31), and social functioning, 45 (SD ± 37). All women faced financial difficulties (100%), and 83.5% reported that this was a significant burden.
Conclusion
Integrating QoL screening and tackling financial toxicity can transform breast cancer care and outcomes in Ghana and similar LMICs.
期刊介绍:
International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences (IJANS) is an international scientific journal published by Elsevier. The broad-based journal was founded on two key tenets, i.e. to publish the most exciting research with respect to the subjects of Nursing and Midwifery in Africa, and secondly, to advance the international understanding and development of nursing and midwifery in Africa, both as a profession and as an academic discipline. The fully refereed journal provides a forum for all aspects of nursing and midwifery sciences, especially new trends and advances. The journal call for original research papers, systematic and scholarly review articles, and critical papers which will stimulate debate on research, policy, theory or philosophy of nursing as related to nursing and midwifery in Africa, technical reports, and short communications, and which will meet the journal''s high academic and ethical standards. Manuscripts of nursing practice, education, management, and research are encouraged. The journal values critical scholarly debate on issues that have strategic significance for educators, practitioners, leaders and policy-makers of nursing and midwifery in Africa. The journal publishes the highest quality scholarly contributions reflecting the diversity of nursing, and is also inviting international scholars who are engaged with nursing and midwifery in Africa to contribute to the journal. We will only publish work that demonstrates the use of rigorous methodology as well as by publishing papers that highlight the theoretical underpinnings of nursing and midwifery as it relates to the Africa context.