What is the Best Predictor of Poor Quality of Life After Breast Cancer Surgery: Age, Comorbidity, or Body Mass Index?

Breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in Canada, with a mortality rate in females of 2.8%. While mortality rates appear to have been declining for breast cancer, quality of life (QOL) after breast cancer surgery is still a concern for many individuals. QOL encompasses multiple aspects of ones’ life including their psychosocial health, a common area of concern in survivorship. A variety of patient factors can influence an individual’s psychosocial well-being post-surgery, such as the patient’s age, comorbidity, and body mass index, all of which are prominent in the Nova Scotian population. Therefore, it’s important to understand how these factor at pre-operation impact patient’s QoL at post-operation. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between pre-operative age, comorbidity and body mass index is related to post-operative psychosocial well-being for breast cancer patients in Nova Scotia.