Impact of surgical treatment on the quality of life of female public employees in the state of São Paulo after breast cancer treatment: a single institution cross-sectional observational study

Resumo

Objective: This study aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) of breast cancer patients after surgical treatment, compare
groups undergoing conservative, radical, and oncoplastic surgeries, and identify symptoms and treatment-related factors
that worsen QoL. Methodology: This is an observational, cross-sectional, descriptive, and single-institution study that evaluated QoL in state public servants with breast cancer undergoing surgical treatment at the Hospital do Servidor Público
Estadual de São Paulo (HSPE) from October 2021 to December 2022. The study included patients with in situ or non-metastatic invasive breast cancer who completed the assessment questionnaire. The European Organization for Research and
Treatment of Cancer 30-Item Quality of Life Questionnaire instruments were used for QoL assessment. The study was submitted through Plataforma Brasil to the Research Ethics Committee of the Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual de São
Paulo – Francisco Morato de Oliveira and filed on Platform Brasil with approval numbers (CAAE 68337823.4.0000.5463).
All patients included in the study signed the TCLE. Results: A total of 300 patients with a mean age of 56.6 years were
included in the study. The majority had a partner (55.69%) and completed higher education (72.15%). The most prevalent
histological type was invasive breast carcinoma (79.74%), and 69.62% of tumors had a positive hormone receptor subtype.
The most common surgical treatment was conservative surgery (77.21%). According to the questionnaire, the population’s
global QoL level (70.6) was satisfactory and the most affected function was emotional (65.1). The majority were satisfied
with their appearance after treatment (74.9), but sexual satisfaction was impaired (57.4). Conclusion: Patients surviving
BC evaluated in this study showed significant changes in QoL. The symptoms most reported by them were insomnia,
pain, and fatigue. Advanced clinical staging and triple-negative molecular subtypes were associated with worse QoL scores. Conservative surgical treatment interfered less with QoL and oncoplastic surgery was associated with lower scores.
Adjuvant radiotherapy did not impair QoL. Adjuvant chemotherapy was the systemic treatment that most interfered with
the QoL of the patients evaluated.