AbstractBackground Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in terms of incidence. This study aimed todetermine the side effects of breast cancer treatment reported by patients with breast cancer and their quality of life(QoL).Methods This study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey. The data collection instrument was dividedinto two distinctive sections. Part (A) collected data covering sex, age at diagnosis, clinical symptoms, complications,treatment measures, and side effects of the treatments. While part (B) of the questionnaire involved the quality-of-life assessment tool, the current study employed the WHOQOL-BREF (Arabic version) as an assessment tool. The datawere entered and analysed with the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) version 21. Two large referralhospitals were involved in the study.Results A total of 258 patients with breast cancer participated in this study. In addition to patients with breast cancer,the majority (80.2%) of the patients had one or more comorbid conditions. More than half (59.3%) of the patientswere diagnosed less than 3 years ago. With respect to disease stage, 147 (57%) patients were in Stage I, 51 (19.8%)patients were in Stage II, 54 (20.9%) patients were in Stage III, and 6 (2.3%) patients were in Stage IV. Among thepatients, 207 (80.2%) received chemotherapy, 159 (61.6%) underwent lumpectomy, 156 (60.5%) received radiotherapy,and 102 (39.5%) underwent mastectomy. Deteriorations in the overall scores were predicted by having comorbidities;having advanced-stage breast cancer; receiving mastectomy; and experiencing headaches, vomiting, depression,anxiety, mood swings, and mouth and throat sores (mucositis), fever, and insomnia (trouble sleeping).Conclusions The findings of this study highlighted the heavy burden of disease and therapy-related adverse effectson the QoL of patients with breast cancer who received treatment in Palestine. Providing comprehensive assessment,personalizing care plans, and reducing the incidence of adverse effects can improve the QoL and well-being of
(PDF) Self-reported side effects of breast cancer treatment and its impact on quality of life: a multicenter cross-sectional study in a low- and middle-income country. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392313028_Self-reported_side_effects_of_breast_cancer_treatment_and_its_impact_on_quality_of_life_a_multicenter_cross-sectional_study_in_a_low-_and_middle-income_country [accessed Dec 29 2025].

Title

BMC

Publisher

An-Najah National University

Publisher Country

Palestine

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

2.84

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

1

Year

2025

Pages

27