Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide and remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. It is a heterogeneous disease with various histopathological and molecular subtypes, resulting in differences in prognosis and treatment response. Early breast cancer (EBC) refers to cancer that is confined to the breast and possibly the nearby lymph nodes, without distant metastasis. The primary goal in the management of EBC is curative treatment while minimizing adverse effects and enhancing quality of life (QoL).
Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted using the WHOQOL-BREF instrument, which includes multiple questions to assess quality of life. The study included patients diagnosed with early breast cancer who underwent surgery, received treatment, and were attending follow-up at SGRDIMSR, Amritsar, Punjab. Assessments were carried out at three time points: pre-operatively, post-operatively, and three months after the completion of chemotherapy.
Result: In our study, 67% of participants were from rural areas and 33% from urban settings, reflecting the regional demographics. Although existing literature highlights rural-urban disparities in quality of life (QOL), often attributed to differences in healthcare access and social stigma, our findings revealed no significant variation based on place of residence. Marital status, however, emerged as a key determinant, with 94% of married participants reporting better QOL—consistent with studies that associate marriage with improved survival rates, treatment adherence, and psychological well-being. Religious affiliation and educational level did not show a significant impact on QOL, despite mixed findings in previous research. Notably, QOL improved significantly in the Physical and Social domains following chemotherapy, while a decline was observed in the Psychological domain and the Environmental domain remained largely unchanged. These findings emphasize the multifactorial nature of QOL and the importance of targeted interventions, particularly psychosocial support, tailored to individual patient backgrounds and treatment phases.
Conclusion: The breast cancer study population was predominantly composed of middle-aged, rural, married women with low educational attainment. Following chemotherapy, quality of life showed improvements in the physical and social domains, while the psychological domain declined and the environmental domain remained stable. Marital status had a significant positive influence on both physical and social aspects of quality of life. These findings suggest that care strategies should place greater emphasis on psychological support and social interventions, particularly for rural and less-educated patients.
Keywords: Early breast cancer, Quality of life, Pre-operative, Post-operative, Post-chemotherapy
