Its time that breast cancer survivors and patients who are in the course of treatment erase the frown on their face and smile. If women who are undergoing therapies for the cancer or have already gone through and are depressed over the quality of life, researchers say, this phase will fade away soon.
Apparently, women who have undergone lumpectomy and radiation have reported to have high level of overall quality of life years after the treatment, reveals a survey.
“Treatments for breast cancer may decrease quality of life temporarily, but this is evidence that survivors on average will return to a normal quality of life,” said Gary Freedman, M.D., an attending physician in the department of radiation oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center who led the survey. The findings of Freedman’s survey were presented at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.
The survey inquired women with early stage breast cancer who were treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation with or without chemotherapy and hormone therapy, about their health post treatments.
There were five general questions that included questions on mobility, self-care, anxiety/depression, pain/discomfort, and ability to perform usual activities. The findings of the research reveal that the breast cancer survivors are in fact leading a high quality of life in comparison with the general population.
The research, however, did not contain questions like whether the women were happy with their breast appearances or asked women about the side-effects of their treatments like the lymphedema.