Health related quality of life scales in women diagnosed with gynecological and breast cancer: the role of resilience. A systematic review

Abstract

Resilience and health-related quality of life are factors to be valued today in all types of patients for their relationship to wellbeing and health. Any stressful situation can significantly impact quality of life and resilience and there are numerous scales to rate these aspects. The main objective of this review is to describe the most used health-related quality of life and resilience scales in gynecological and breast cancer patients to highlight the limitations. Data sources: A review of literature in Pubmed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Database and Google Scholar was carried out to identify articles on health-related quality of life in oncological patients published in English between 2000 and 2020. Methods of study selection: The review was done following the PRISMA guidelines. Tabulation: A total of 460 papers were identified using MeSH terms but finally, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we evaluated 41. Integration and results: Questionnaires have a good performance to quantify quality of life and resilience in oncological patients in general. However, most publications were not focused on patients with gynecological cancer. Conclusions: Due to the particularities of the group of patients with gynecologic and breast cancer secondary to their treatment significantly affecting several areas and domains, it is necessary to validate specific scales for them in order to offer these patients the correct management of their disease at all levels. The role of resilience, premature and iatrogenic menopause and mutilating surgeries are essential to understand the uniqueness of health-related quality of life in gynecological and breast cancer patients.

Treatment-induced menopause symptoms among women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy in China: a comparison to age- and menopause status–matched controls

“…As VMS is a significant symptom in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy, we further explored potential factors influencing VMS and found that occupational status, chemotherapy stage, and resiliency were associated with VMS. In addition, resiliency was associated with VMS in a previous study 45 . These findings emphasize the significance of resiliency in mitigating VMS in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.…”

“…In addition, resiliency was associated with VMS in a previous study. 45 These findings emphasize the significance of resiliency in mitigating VMS in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Employed participants had relatively few menopause symptoms, which is inconsistent with the results of a previous study performed in the UK.…”

“…Mindfulness helps balance sympathetic and parasympathetic responses, thereby managing physical discomfort and menopause symptoms 44 . High resiliency can mitigate the negative impact of cancer diagnosis and enhance the menopause-related quality of life in women with cancer 45 . This study also explored the relationship between illness perception and menopause symptoms in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.…”

“…Our findings further show the benefits of resiliency to 44 High resiliency can mitigate the negative impact of cancer diagnosis and enhance the menopause-related quality of life in women with cancer. 45 This study also explored the relationship between illness perception and menopause symptoms in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Illness perception is an important cognitive factor during treatment and is significantly associated with psychological symptoms and behaviors in women with cancer.…”