Quality of Life for Patients who had Breast Cancer Operations: The Validity and Availability for WHOQOL-BREF / 한국유방암학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the validity of the WHOQOL-BREF (Brief form of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument) and explore the quality of life (QOL) of breast cancer patients who survived after an operation, using the Korean version of the WHOQOL-BREF. METHODS: Fifty (50) breast cancer patients after their operations and obtaining their informed consent were recruited. Hospital staff members served as the controls. The 100 item-WHOQOL instrument was employed for testing all the subjects. The scores of the WHOQOL-BREF, which is a short version (26 questions) of the WHOQOL, includes four domains (physical, psychological, social, and environmental), were compared with those of the WHOQOL. RESULTS: The scores of the WHOQOL-BREF were significantly correlated with those of the WHOQOL in all domains. The physical, psychological, and environmental domains were associated with a worse quality of life in patients with breast cancer. CONCLUSION: The WHOQOL-BREF is a valid and useful instrument for evaluating the quality of life in patients with breast cancer.