Evaluation of quality of life of breast cancer patient nextof-kin in Turkey

Abstract

Introduction: Quality of life (QoL) issues are of importance in relatives of women with breast cancer (BC)as caregivers in neglecting their own needs due to care of a patient and also as women regarding the potential risk of themselves developing BC. The objectives in the present study were to compare the QoL of female relatives of women in treatment for breast cancer. To date, no study had examined multi-dimensional QoL in accompanying people as compared them into two groups of female relatives whose first degree and second degree. Methods: QoL of female relatives was assessed using the Quality of Life-Family Version (QOL-FV) scale. Relationships between socio-demographic characteristics and QoL scores were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis and Crosstabs tests. Results: The mean age of the female relatives was 37.6 years, and nearly 48% had a university education. It was found that first degree relatives had worse QoL in all domains except physical wellbeing than second degree relatives. Conclusion: This study showed that being female relatives of BC, especially first-degree, affect QoL negatively. Health care providers are of an important role in the stage of information related to genetic influence of BC.