• Chi-Cheng Huang, Heng-Hui Lien, Shih-Hsin Tu, Ching-Shui Huang, Jaan-Yeh Jeng, Hui-Lin Chao, Hsiao-Lun Sun, and Wei-Chu Chie.
• Division of General Surgery, Cathay General Hospital Sijhih Branch, Sijhih City, Taiwan.
• J Formos Med Assoc. 2010 Jul 1; 109 (7): 493502493-502.

Background/PurposeBreast cancer is the most common female malignancy in Taiwan; however, quality of life (QOL) following breast cancer therapy remains rarely studied. The aim of the present study was to evaluate QOL among Taiwanese breast cancer patients with and without breast-conserving therapy.MethodsA total of 130 women with breast cancer (37 with breast-conserving therapy and 93 with modified radical mastectomy) were enrolled between August, 2004 and December, 2007 in a single center. Patients who underwent breast-conserving therapy were younger, less likely to be married, had a higher educational level, and were at an earlier clinical stage than those who underwent modified radical mastectomy. The traditional Chinese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires were used as measuring instruments. Structural equation modeling with mean structural analysis, which evaluates configuration invariance and compares groups for latent functional/symptomatic factors, was constructed using a multi-indicators approach.ResultsPatients with breast-conserving therapy reported worse global QOL status and role function scores and higher symptomatic scores for fatigue, pain, dyspnea, insomnia, appetite loss, breast and arm problem subscales than those without conserving therapy. In addition, age, marital status, hormone manipulation and postoperative adjuvant therapy were significant confounders for QOL. Measurement invariance was ascertained and the same QOL construct could be applied to Taiwanese subjects with and without breast-conserving therapy.ConclusionOur study suggests that breast-conserving therapy might be associated with worse perceived QOL for Taiwanese breast cancer survivors.Copyright 2010 Formosan Medical Association & Elsevier. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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