Evaluation of quality of life and caregiver burden at relatives of patients with breast cancer

Cancer is one of the most serious health problems in our country and around the world. Breast cancer is vital because it's the most frequent type of cancer observed in women in Turkey and the world. It's stressed in the literature that breast cancer needs to be considered as a disease of family. As in other types of cancer, when the stages of diagnosis and treatment are considered, family dynamics might be effected and there might be a transformation in terms of the roles carried out by each member of the family of the patient suffering from breast cancer. In this study, the aim is to examine the relationship between the sociodemographic characteristics as well as the burden of caregiving on the patient relatives and their life quality. The close relatives of 100 patient with breast cancer who have applied to Medical Oncology and Radiation Oncology Polyclinics of Hafsa Sultan Hospital in Manisa Celal Bayar University between November 2016 and March 2017, are included in our cross-sectional study. In the 6- month period after the ethics committee approval, caregivers for patients with breast cancer applying to the polyclinics constitute our target population. It is aimed to reach all the relatives of the patients who have applied to the polyclinics within the specified period without their sample accounts having yet been done, who admitted to participate in the study and met inclusion criteria of the study. As data collection tool, sociodemographic form, the zarit caregiver burden scale, WHOQOL BREF-TR (World Health Organization quality of life Scale – Turkish national short version) were used. Surveys were implemented by the researcher with face-to-face interview technique. The results show that 68% and 54% of patient relatives with breast cancer are male and are the patient's spouses, and 56% and 53% are at the primary education level and at the middle income level, respectively. The results are as follows: Life quality score in social domain is lower in males and spouses when considered in terms of kinship. As age average of caregivers increases, their life quality decreases in social domain. As income level goes up, life quality in environmental, national environmental and social domain increases. When education level arises, life quality increases in environmental and national environmental domain. In terms of caregiving period, the first six months have the highest scores of life quality in social domain and as caregiving burden rises, life quality in environmental, national environmental and social domain reduces. Moreover, when income level decreases, caregiving burden increases and it rises dramatically in the period after surgical, chemotherapy, radiotherapy processes are completed. In accordance with above-mentioned results, caregiving burdens and life quality of patient relatives should be evaluated at periodic intervals. Both patients with breast cancer and patient relatives, especially spouses, should be supported in terms of education their with their socio-economic conditions being taken into consideration. The educational, social and economic needs of caregivers should be determined and fulfilled and their problems should not be ignored. Therefore, that caregiving burdens of caregivers are reduced and their life quality is improved will have a positive impact on treatment processes of the patients with breast cancer and their efforts to cope with the cancer.