Quality of Life in Long-Term Elderly Early-Stage Breast Cancer Survivors from Spain

Background; Maintaining good Quality of Life (QOL) in elderly long-term breast cancer survivors (LTBCS) is a major challenge today. Identifying particularly affected areas and associated factors can help to optimally organise the health care provided. Methods: A total of 316 elderly (>70 years) stage I-IIIA LTBCS subjected to breast surgery >5 years ear-lier completed EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-BR42 and QLQ-ELD14 on two occasions in the same year. QOL scores and their one-year evolution were described and their relation to demographic and clinical characteristics was assessed using non-parametric tests. De-terminants of elderly-specific key aspects of QOL were also explored with linear regres-sion models. Results: QOL scores were high (>80/100 points) in most areas. Limitations were moderate (>30 points) in sexual functioning/enjoyment, skeletal symptoms and three elderly-specific scales. QOL differences between the two assessments were few and trivial. The >75 years group showed lower QOL than the < 75 years group in nine QLQ-C30 and four QLQ-ELD14 areas. Patients younger at treatment, living with a partner and without limiting comorbidity showed better QOL. Combinations of lower symptoms and higher functioning with cohabitation and clinical variables were related to the two QLQ-ELD14 scales. Conclusions: High QOL in elderly early-stage LTBCS indicated that patients adapted well to their situation. These results, relevant due to the high age of our partici-pants, indicate areas for improvement.