Quality of life and associated factors among women treated for breast cancer in two university hospitals in Mali

Abstract

Background. Quality of life is an important gold considered in the management of breast cancer. This study aimed to: (1) describe quality of life at baseline among breast cancer patients at the Gabriel Touré and "Mère-Enfant" University Hospital, Bamako, Mali; and (2) identify the factors influencing quality of life. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study among women breast cancer patients in two University Hospitals of Bamako from January 1st, 2016 to November 30th, 2022. The EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ BR23 questionnaires were used to measure  quality of life. A linear transformation was performed for all items on a 0 to 100 scale. Descriptive statistics were used. A multivariate analysis using the linear mixed model was carried out to identify factors associated with quality of life. Adjusted mean quality of life scores with their confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated. Results. During the study period, 209 women were recruited. The mean age was 50.7 years old with a standard deviation of 8.9. The mean global quality of life score was 44.5+ 22.19. Almost all domains of functioning scales (physical, roles, emotional and social well-being) were below 66%. For QLQ-BR23, specific to breast cancer, the best score was obtained with the item "future perspectives". The most frequently reported symptoms were arm symptoms and hair loss. Married status was associated with poor body image (p < 0.05). Mean scores of physical well-being and global quality of life were higher in women who received radiotherapy or chemotherapy as compared with those who don't receive these treatments (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Quality-of-life scores on QLQ - C30 and QLQ-BR23 scales were low in Malians women but improved slightly with the treatment. This suggests emphasizing on the holistic management of breast cancer patients in our settings.