Young Breast Cancer Survivors: Ten Years Later
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Studies of breast cancer survivors report lingering effects of treatment that include arm and chest problems, weight gain, sexual difficulties, problems with health and life insurance and fears for the future. Younger women treated with chemotherapy are at increased risk for early menopause. In order to determine the extent to which these problems are due to breast cancer treatment rather than to normal aging, it is necessary to compare long-term survivors with women of the same age, ethnicity, and socio-economic status who do not have cancer.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Our working hypotheses are that: (1) ten-year breast cancer survivors, age 50 or younger at the time of their diagnosis, will report poorer quality of life than their peers who do not have cancer; and (2) the quality of life of ten-year breast cancer survivors will be poorer in the physical domain and the social domain but better in the psychological domain compared to their quality of life as five year survivors. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 This research will determine the extent to which women who were young at diagnosis and are now ten year survivors of breast cancer, experience: 1) more intense concerns than women of the same age, ethnicity and education who have not had cancer with respect to (a) physical well-being (e.g. arm and chest problems, weight gain, and development of chronic health conditions); (b) psychological well-being (e.g. mood distress, fears for the future, body image); (c) social well-being (e.g., communication problems, sexual problems, work-related concerns); and (d) spiritual well-being; and 2) more intense concerns than they did as five-year survivors in the physical and social domains and fewer concerns in the psychological domain of quality of life. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 We propose to re-interview in-person 400 women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 50 or under who are now ten-year survivors and interview 400 women who are friends of the survivors and are likely to be of a similar age, education, and race/ethnicity, but do not have cancer. The study participants will be surveyed regarding their backgrounds (e.g. age, education, family size, whether they are married, etc.), quality of life in four domains (physical, psychological, social, and spiritual) and chronic health conditions. Breast cancer survivors’ perceived quality of life in each domain will be compared to women who have not had cancer as well as to their reports at five years.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Younger women with breast cancer are a segment of the population that is increasing both in number and in life expectancy. No one has followed a cohort of young women for ten years after diagnosis. Findings from the proposed study will provide important information to the health care system in terms of points of intervention to reduce the physical side effects of treatment and improve quality of life. In addition, this study will provide valuable information to survivors and their providers regarding the relative impacts of aging and breast cancer treatment. This would be the first population-based study of the impact of breast cancer and its treatment on ten year breast cancer survivors who were diagnosed at age 50 or younger.