Menopausal Symptoms and Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Patients with Chemotherapy-induced Amenorrhea
- Author:
Jin Hee PARK
1
;
Yong Sik JUNG
;
Ji Young KIM
;
Sun Hyoung BAE
;
Yujung JO
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Breast neoplasms; Menopause; Quality of life; Drug therapy
- From:Asian Oncology Nursing 2019;19(2):90-97
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
- Abstract: PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the severity of menopausal symptoms and their impact on the quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used. Participants were 112 breast cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea. They completed the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 23.0. RESULTS: The prevalence of symptoms among the participants were as follows: sleep problems, 88.4%; physical and mental exhaustion, 80.4%; joint and muscular discomfort, 76.8%; and depression, 70.5%. Menopausal symptoms had a significant negative association with QOL. The results of the regression analysis showed that psychological and urogenital symptoms were statistically significant in explaining patients' QOL and accounted for 70% of the total variance. CONCLUSION: Menopausal symptoms appear to be a significant problem for premenopausal breast cancer patients. Assessment and control of menopausal symptoms played a large role in maintaining the quality of life in breast cancer patients.
