Patient education, upper-limb symptom perception, and quality of life among Japanese breast cancer survivors

To examine the effects of perceptions of information received about upper-limb morbidity (ULM) and perceptions of upper-limb symptoms (ULS) on quality of life (QoL) among Japanese breast cancer (BC) survivors.

A total of 166 Japanese BC survivors with postoperative ULS participated in a cross-sectional study. Participants were divided into three groups by time since breast surgery (short-term, middle-term, and long-term). Survivors’ perceptions of the information, their perceptions of ULS, and QoL were assessed using questionnaires, including the WHO QoL-BREF Japanese version. Factors associated with QoL were analyzed by multiple regression stepwise analyses.

In the short-term group, perceptions of insufficient information about managing ULM were associated with poor physical (P = 0.002), psychological (P = 0.003), and environmental health (P = 0.015). Positive perceptions of ULS were associated with good physical (P = 0.011), psychological (P = 0.024), and social health (P = 0.028). Symptom disclosure was associated with poor physical (P = 0.036) and psychological health (P = 0.041) in the long-term group. No significant association was found between QoL and perceptions of information or symptoms in the middle-term group.

Facilitating positive perceptions of information and ULS may improve QoL, especially in short-term survivors. Healthcare providers should develop patient education programs that take the perceptions of BC survivors into account.