JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

In the last few decades, Lebanon has witnessed a significant increase in the incidence rates of women diagnosed with Breast cancer (BC). This increase associated with the advancements in treatment modalities emphasizes the need to evaluate Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of women with BC and to compare its patterns before and after breast conserving surgery.

Objective:

The main objective of this study is to describe changes in the HRQoL according to body image pre and post-operative breast conserving surgery and just prior to initiation of adjuvant therapy in newly diagnosed patients with BC in Lebanon.

Methods:

A prospective cohort study targeting Lebanese women newly diagnosed with BC and who have an indication for breast conserving surgery will be conducted in two health care facilities. Baseline characteristics and clinical data will be collected. EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires will be used to assess HRQoL. The outcomes will be measured at baseline and then one-day post-operative breast surgery. The primary outcome will be the body image dimension of the QLQ-BR23 questionnaire. Statistical analyses will include descriptive statistics, paired T-test, and stepwise multiple regression.

Results:

The proposal of study is approved by Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beyrouth (IRB No.18.007-Trans-CMO-(OM)) and the ethical Comite of Sahel general hospital. A total of 120 patients are required.

Conclusions:

Findings of the present study will help decision makers, physicians and social workers to design a comprehensive program with multidisciplinary components for the management and care of BC patients in Lebanon.