Quality of Life Assessment After Conserving Breast Surgery and Intraoperative Radiotherapy (IORT) in Breast Cancer Patients Using the BREAST-Q Questionnaire

Background: In women undergoing breast surgery, Measurement of PatientRelated Outcome Measures (PROMs) is important for improving the process ofcare, focusing on the patient's perspective. BREASTQ is a validated patientreportedoutcome measure used increasingly in aesthetic and recostructivesurgery. Only recently a breast conserving therapy module (BREASTQ-BCT) hasbeen available. The aim of this study was to assess patient satisfaction and qualityof life using BREAST-Q questionnaire in patients undergoing breast conservingsurgery (BCS) plus IORT.Methods: Women undergoing BCS plus IORT for an early-stage breast cancerfor at least a year were invited by telephone to partecipate. We scheduled dedicatedoutpatient visits to our center. The medical interviewer collected medical historyinformation and administered the BREASTQ-BCT in paper format. Data wereinserted in a de-identified database. Univariate regression analysis was used toidentify clinicopathological variables associated with "satisfaction with breast"domain score.Results: Overall, ۳۸ women completed the questionnaire. The domains of thequestionnaire that obtained the lowest scores were ‘satisfaction with IORTinformation’ and ‘satisfaction with breasts’ (median score ۵۹, IQR ۵۵-۷۳ and ۵۱-۶۹.۵). Weight of specimen and vascular invasion were risk factors for lower‘Satisfaction with breasts’ at univariate analysis. There was a moderate-strongcorrelation between 'satisfaction with the breasts' and 'psychosocial wellbeing'and 'Sexual wellbeing'.Conclusions: In this retrospective study, without a pre-operative questionnaire,changes in individuals’ satisfaction and quality of life could not be identified. Aprospective study comparing BCS plus external RT group and BCS plus IORTgroup could be informative.