• Jennifer A Shin, Areej El-Jawahri, Amanda Parkes, Stephen M Schleicher, Helen P Knight, and Jennifer S Temel.
• 1 Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center , Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
• J Palliat Med. 2016 Aug 1; 19 (8): 863-9.

BackgroundAlthough breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women in the United States, few studies focus on the supportive care needs of patients living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).ObjectiveWe studied quality of life (QOL), depression, anxiety, and prognostic understanding of patients with MBC.DesignWe conducted a cross-sectional study of 140 patients with MBC, stratified by receipt of endocrine therapy or chemotherapy.MeasurementsWe evaluated anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). We assessed QOL using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B), specifically measuring the FACT-B Trial Outcome Index (TOI), which includes physical and functional well-being and breast cancer-specific symptoms. Higher FACT-B TOI scores represent better QOL. We used a 12-item questionnaire to assess patients' perceptions of their prognosis and goals of therapy.ResultsCompared to those taking endocrine therapy (n = 40), patients receiving chemotherapy (n = 100) reported lower scores on the FACT-B TOI (66.1 versus 72.5, p < 0.01) and more depression symptoms (HADS-D >7; 22% versus 7.5%, p = 0.03). Higher scores on the FACT-B TOI were associated with lower depression (β, -0.16; p < 0.01) and anxiety (β, -0.11; p < 0.01), and patients who reported frequent prognostic conversations with their oncologists had less depression (β, -1.28; p < 0.01). Thirty-nine percent (54/140) reported that their cancer was likely curable.ConclusionPatients with MBC, particularly those treated with chemotherapy, may benefit from interventions to address their physical, functional, and breast cancer-related symptoms. Many do not report accurate prognostic understanding, and more frequent prognostic conversations might address this information gap.

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