RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN QUALITY-OF-LIFE AND MOOD IN LONG-TERM SURVIVORS OF BREAST-CANCER TREATED WITH MASTECTOMY

This study sought to compare the mood and quality of life (QOL) of bre ast cancer survivors with those observed in low-risk breast cancer scr eening patients. A group of long-term stage I-III breast cancer surviv ors (n = 60) was compared with low-risk breast cancer screening patien ts (n = 93) on measures of depression, anxiety, and QOL. Patients with out a previous psychiatric history were studied. Although the groups d iffered in age and education, correlations performed between age, educ ation, and the outcome measures showed no association of age and educa tion with the outcome measures. Breast cancer patients with stage III disease showed significantly poorer functioning in all areas except fa mily than did other breast cancer patients; however, when compared wit h the breast cancer screening group, they showed higher QOL scores in several domains. Higher mood scores were correlated with poorer scores in all QOL areas except family functioning in the breast cancer group . Only significantly elevated depression scores correlated with poorer QOL areas in the breast cancer screening group. The psychological mea sures were found to be more robust predictors of QOL than the demograp hic variables in both the cancer and the screening patients. These res ults suggest that longterm survivors of breast cancer continue to expe rience significant stress and emotional distress, as evidenced by incr eased depression and lower QOL functioning.