Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Jeanne Connors

Abstract

AbstractCancer survivorship is essential for the longevity of all cancer survivors, and breast cancer survivorship has become the focus of public health organizations to help address the unmet needs of breast cancer survivors. This quantitative cross-sectional study explored the impact on the Quality of Life (QoL) and health outcomes of female breast cancer survivors in cancer survivorship programs or tertiary care. The ages of the survivors in the study sample ranged from 18 to 80, and all participants were at least 6 months into their cancer survivorship journey. Surveys used were the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer’s Quality-of-Life Questionnaire – Core 30 (QLQ-C30), along with the cancer-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire- Breast Cancer (QLQ-BR23). The QoL categories used in this study were emotional, psychosocial, and physical well-being (functionings). These analyses indicated that there are statistically significant associations between higher QoL scores, positive health outcomes, and female breast cancer survivors in cancer survivorship programs or tertiary care. This study also indicated that a multi-symptom approach is statistically significant, while single-symptom strategies are not. Positive social change implications include a comprehensive quality of care, increased QoL, and health outcomes, to which all cancer survivors can benefit. In addition, a change from the single-symptom approach to a multi-symptom system could facilitate a new health care model necessary for the future implementation of cancer survivorship programs in public health.

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