Objective: To assess quality of life (QoL) of female breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with a fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FAC) regimen.
Material and Method: This prospective analytical study was performed among 40 Thai female patients receiving the FAC regimen at Pranangklao Hospital, Nonthaburi province. Their QoL was assessed using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Breast Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-BR23).
Results: Most patients were aged 50 years or over (77.5%) and had been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer (47.5%). According to the EORTC QLQ-C30, the patients’ QoL significantly decreased compared to the baseline after cycle 3 for global health status (p-value=0.002) and QoL (p-value=0.001), as well as physical functioning (p-value=0.015) and role functioning (p-value=0.001), while symptoms of fatigue, nausea/vomiting, and appetite loss increased (p-value<0.001). After cycle 5, the patients’ QoL was still significantly lower than at baseline, for physical functioning (p-value=0.009) and symptoms of fatigue, nausea/vomiting, appetite loss (p-value<0.001) and dyspnea (p-value=0.005). The EORTC QLQ-BR23 reported significantly worse systemic therapy side effects for both cycles 3 and 5 (p-value<0.001), and distress due to hair loss also appeared after cycle 5 (p-value=0.016). No significant differences were revealed on any scales between cycles 3 and 5.
Conclusion: The patients’ QoL significantly decreased after chemotherapy with the FAC regimen, with some side effects from treatment and reduction in some functioning.