Impact of age-related socio-economic and clinical determinants of quality of life among long-term breast cancer survivors

• Five year post-diagnosis, breast cancer patients had a good quality of life level.
• Disease severity and the treatment received at diagnosis did not affect quality of life.
• Older women had worse quality of life and had less social support availability than younger women with breast cancer.
• Comorbidities and socio-economic status were determinants of quality of life in older women five years after breast cancer diagnosis.

ObjectivesThe main purpose of this study was to identify age-related socioeconomic and clinical determinants of quality of life among breast cancer survivors five years after the diagnosis. The secondary objective was to describe quality of life in the studied population according to age.Study designA cross-sectional survey in five-year breast cancer survivors was conducted in women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and 2008 in Côte d’Or.Main outcome measuresQuality of life was assessed with the SF-12, the EORTC-QLQ-C30 and the EORTC-QLQ-BR23 questionnaires. Socio-economic deprivation was assessed by the EPICES questionnaire. Social support was assessed by the Sarason questionnaire and clinical features were collected through the Côte d’Or breast cancer registry. Age-related determinants of quality of life were identified using multivariate mixed model analysis for each SF-12 dimension.ResultsOverall 396 women completed the questionnaires. Women aged <65 years had a better quality of life and a greater availability of social support than did women aged ≥65 years. Body mass index, relapse and EPICES were found to be determinants of quality of life in younger women (p < 0.006). For older women, comorbidities and EPICES deprivation scores were predictors of low quality of life scores (p < 0.006).ConclusionsFive years after breast cancer diagnosis, disease severity did not affect quality of life. The major determinants of quality of life in younger women were disease relapse and EPICES deprivation scores while those in older women were comorbidities and EPICES deprivation scores.