Health-Related Quality of Life Of Women With Breast Cancer And Those Without Cancer At Unth Ituku/Ozalla Enugu
Health–Related Quality of Life Of Women With Breast Cancer And Those Without Cancer At Unth Ituku/Ozalla Enugu.
Abstract
Breast cancer is a serious, stressful and life-threatening disease. Breast cancer survivors increasingly experience long-term side effects that influence their quality of life (Wonghongkul, Dechaprom , Phumivichuvate & Losawatkul,2006).
This descriptive study was conducted on the health related quality of life of women with breast cancer and those without cancer at the university of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Ituku/Ozalla Enugu.
Five objectives and four hypothesis were generated to guide the study. The study was carried out at the oncology and surgical unit of the University of Nigerian Teaching Hospital Ituku /Ozalla Enugu.
A sample size of 230 women made up of 115 women with breast cancer and 115 women without breast cancer was selected using the purposive sampling technique.
The WHO Quality of life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection in addition to six demographic data questions added by the researcher.
The questionnaire was administered with the help of four trained research assistants. Data generated was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Finding revealed that the HRQoL scores of women with breast cancer were lower than that of the women without cancer in the three domains of life.
Introduction
Background to the Study
Cancer is a term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and can invade nearby tissues. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymphatic system.
(National Cancer Institute, 2008). Cancer can involve any tissue of the body and have many different forms in each body area. Most cancers are named for the type of cell or organ in which they start.
Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) growth that begins in the tissues of the breast. Breast cancer is the commonest cancer in women and the most common cancer in Nigeria (Jayisemi, Sofela, Rufai, 2007).
References
American Thoracic Society (2007). Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL)
Retrieved from http//gol. Thoracic.org/ Sections/key concepts/health.related- quality-of-life.html.on 23/5/2014.
American Cancer Society (2009).Cancer facts and figures. Retrieved from www.cancer.org on 4/5/2014.
Awadalla,A.W ,Ohaeri,J.U, Abdullah,G., Ahmed,O.A. K, Hussein, M.A & Anila,J (2007). Factors associated with quality of life of out patients with breast and gynaecological cancers and family care givers.
Bartema-Jppe, Bock, Woltman-van, Busz, Rancho, Langendjik, Maduro, and Heuve (2015).
Impact of age on changes in the HRQoL among breast cancer survivors treated with breast conserving surgery and radiotherapy.
