The Impact of Radiodermatitis on Breast Cancer Patients' Quality of Life During Radiotherapy: A Prospective Cohort Study.

CONTEXT: In the oncology field, quality of life (QoL) is recognized as an essential component. However, few studies have evaluated radiotherapy (RT) and its adverse events, specifically radiodermatitis.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of radiodermatitis severity on QoL of women with breast cancer (BC) throughout RT.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study was conducted with 100 BC patients evaluated weekly during RT. The Dermatology Life Quality Index questionnaire and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group scale were used. The generalized estimated equations were used to examine the association between the total score of QoL and their domains, time of RT, and the radiodermatitis score, controlled by confounding factors. Estimated marginal means and 95% CIs were compared pairwise by applying Sequential Sidak.

RESULTS

The total QoL score and their domains (work/school, leisure, daily activities, symptoms, and feelings) were significantly associated with the evaluation times of RT (P < 0.001), the radiodermatitis score (P ≤ 0.002), and the interaction between timing (T) of treatment and radiodermatitis score (P < 0.001). When assessing post hoc, it was identified that the worst QoL scores were in the presence of Grade 3 (mean = 6.00) in T3 and Grade 4 (6.50; 7.00) in T5 and T6, respectively, and this difference was statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

RT negatively influenced the QoL of women with BC, with the greatest impact resulting from severe radiodermatitis. Actions aimed at minimizing the impairment on QoL need to be adopted to make this exhausting process less traumatic and easier to complete.