Experience and Quality of Life Following Breast Cancer Surgery
| Background: Bangladesh is facing a high burden of breast cancer. Late presentation with advanced stage is the common feature of a breast cancer patient in Bangladesh when it is extremely difficult to manage this deadly disease. It is easily understandable that the incidence and mortality of breast cancer are growing at a fast rate. But as we do not have any cancer registry along with relevant data it is difficult to say the exact situation in Bangladesh the rate of breast cancer occurrence is estimated to be 22.5 per 100000 females of all ages; In the case of Bangladeshi women, aged between 15-44 years, breast cancer has the highest prevalence 19.3 per 100000 compared to any other type of cancer. However, this figure is far less than the real figure, simply because very few cases are diagnosed and reported. Many patients die with unnoticed cancer. There may be many reasons behind this, but studies in many other countries show that poor or no knowledge, ignorance, lack of awareness and misbelief is one of the leading causes of this fastest silent killer. Methods: This prospective quasi-experimental study was conducted in the Department of Surgery, Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh from August 2014 to July 2019. Samples were collected on a non-randomized basis with stage IB–IIIB breast cancer in females (n=1156) with the age group of 35-65 years and their mean age was 48.16 years. The diagnosis was performed with history, clinical examinations, and investigations. Types of surgery were depending upon the TNM staging of the disease and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 4 days. The follow-up time was 5 years and the mean follow-up time 4.61 months. Outcomes variables are satisfaction (Surgical site pain, Post radiation scar pain, Local relapse of disease, Nodal metastasis, Distance metastasis and response to chemo-radiation), communications, and the quality of life (Systemic therapy side effects, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and arm symptoms). The questionnaire was made according to the treatment protocol of breast Cancer. The study was performed for the research purpose of experience and quality of life following breast cancer surgery, Results: Studies from experience generally noted that, with the wide local excision, lobectomy & mastectomy with or without axillary dissection. Advanced surgical treatment generally had an effect on long-term outcomes. In contrast, the processes of care, such as choosing therapy, good patient-physician communication, participants had completed primary treatment (surgery and radiation and/or chemotherapy. Meantime from initial surgical treatment to completion of the questionnaire was 24 months Mean number of symptoms reported,
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