Health-Related Quality of Life of Lebanese Women With Breast Cancer: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study

Rana El Haidari; Amelie Anota; Linda Abou-Abbas; Virginie Nerich

doi:10.2196/27893

Health-Related Quality of Life of Lebanese Women With Breast Cancer: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study

JMIR Res Protoc. 2021 Nov 23;10(11):e27893. doi: 10.2196/27893.

Authors

Rana El Haidari¹, Amelie Anota^{1

2}, Linda Abou-Abbas³, Virginie Nerich^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ INSERM (French Institut of Health and Medical Research), EFS BFC (Etablissement français du sang Bourgogne Franche-Comté), UMR1098 (Interactions Greffon-Hôte-Tumeur/Ingénierie Cellulaire et Génique), University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté, RIGHT Interactio, Besancon, France.
² French National Platform Quality of Life and Cancer, Besançon, France.
³ Neuroscience Research Center, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University, Hadath, Lebanon.
⁴ Department of Pharmacy, University Hospital of Besançon, Besançon, France.

PMID: 34817382
PMCID: PMC8663625
DOI: 10.2196/27893

Abstract

Background: In the past few decades, Lebanon has witnessed a significant increase in the incidence rates of women diagnosed with breast cancer. This increase, which is associated with the advancements in treatment modalities, emphasizes the need to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of women with breast cancer and to compare its patterns before and after breast-conserving surgery (BCS).

Objective: This study aims to describe changes in HRQoL according to body image pre- and post-BCS and just before initiation of adjuvant therapy in newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer in Lebanon.

Methods: A prospective cohort study targeting Lebanese women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and who have an indication for BCS will be conducted in 2 health care facilities. Baseline characteristics and clinical data will be collected. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life cancer-specific and breast cancer-specific questionnaires will be used to assess HRQoL. The outcomes will be measured at baseline and 1 day after breast surgery. The primary outcome will be the body image dimensions of the Quality-of-Life breast cancer-specific questionnaire. Statistical analyses will include descriptive statistics, paired 2-tailed t test, and stepwise multiple regression. A total of 120 patients will be required.

Results: A total of 120 patients were enrolled in the study. Future outcomes will be published in professional peer-reviewed health-related research journals.

Conclusions: This study is strengthened by its follow-up nature, allowing us to draw conclusions about causality. The results of this study will identify the most affected components of HRQoL, as well as the factors that could play a role in improving HRQoL among women undergoing BCS. The findings of this study will help decision makers, physicians, and social workers to design a comprehensive program with multidisciplinary components for the management and care of patients with breast cancer in Lebanon.

International registered report identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/27893.

Keywords: Lebanese women; breast cancer; cohort; health-related quality of life; prospective.

©Rana El Haidari, Amelie Anota, Linda Abou-Abbas, Virginie Nerich. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 23.11.2021.