Impact of cosmetic care on quality of life in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy and radiotherapy: an initial randomized controlled study |
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Authors: | G Titeca&dagger § ,F Poot&dagger § ,D Cassart&Dagger ,B Defays&dagger ,D Pirard&dagger § ,M Comas&dagger ,P Vereecken&dagger ¶ &dagger &dagger ,V Verschaevec,P Simon&dagger ,M Heenen&dagger |
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Affiliation: | Erasme University Hospital, Free University of Brussels, Belgium. geraldine.titeca@skynet.be |
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Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and therefore represents a major problem in public health. Data from patients' self-report questionnaires provide valuable information about the side-effects that patients may view as having a significantly detrimental impact on their quality of life (QOL) and yet are not always recognized as important by healthcare professionals. Cosmetology is a specific care for patients and there is actually no scientific evidence regarding effects on QOL for women with breast cancer. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of cosmetic care on QOL in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy and radiotherapy. METHODS: We developed a prospective, multicentre, randomized, controlled study including 27 patients. All the patients had to fill in a French-validated dermatologic specific quality-of-life questionnaire to compare the QOL of the two groups, the cosmetic group and the control group, at three different times of the adjuvant treatment. RESULTS: The results show a statistically significant difference between the cosmetic group and the control group in two areas of QOL: mood state and self-perception of the disease. CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the interest of cosmetic care in breast cancer patients. However, further larger trials are needed to confirm this study. |
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Keywords: | cosmetic care quality of life breast cancer |
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