Purpose: We evaluated the association between changes in social support after cancer treatment and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in such patients using a prospective cohort study.
Materials and methods: Data were obtained from a prospective cohort study (NCT03131089) conducted at Samsung Medical Center (2013-2021). The primary outcome measure was RFS. Social support was measured using the social and family well-being (SFWB) domain of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General. We calculated the changes in SFWB scores before and during treatment and the hazard ratio for RFS by comparing such changes.
Results: The mean±standard deviation (SD) age of the patients was 35±3.9 years, and 71.5% and 64.8% of the patients were married and had children, respectively. The mean±SD SFWB score at baseline was 20.5±5.0 out of 26. After cancer treatment, 35.9%, 10.3%, and 53.8% of the participants had increasing, unchanged, and decreasing SFWB scores, respectively. The decreasing SFWB score group had a higher risk of mortality or recurrence than the increasing group. Risk factors for the decreasing score were the presence of children during diagnosis.
Conclusion: In this cohort, changes in social support after treatment were associated with RFS in young patients with breast cancer. Health professionals should develop family interventions to help them receive proper social support.
Keywords: Prospective cohort study; Recurrence; Social support; Young breast cancer.