Determination of nutritional status and quality of life in women with breast cancer

This study was planned and conducted to determine the nutritional status and quality of life in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. 120 women with breast cancer diagnosed in the last 1 year, aged 18-65 years, who applied to a private oncology clinic, participated in the study. In the study, the data were applied to the patients with a questionnaire prepared by the researcher, 24-hour dietary recall, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Mediterranean Diet Asssesment Tool (MEDAS) and The EORTC Core Quality of Life questionnaire (EORTC – QLQ- C30). Anthropometric measurements and body analysis were taken by the researcher. A significant correlation was found between the breast cancer stage of the participants and their body mass index (p=0.011). It was determined that there is a significant relationship between the daily protein intake per kilogram and muscle mass (p=0.036). It was determined that there was a significant relationship between the IPAQ score and body fat mass of the individuals participating in the study (p<0.05). According to the IPAQ questionnaire, a statistically expressive relationship was found between body mass index, body fat mass, waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, waist/height ratio and activity status (respectively; p=0.001, p=0.000, p=0.018, p =0.001, p=0.015). The comparison of Mediterranean Diet total score and biochemical parameters it was found that there was a significant correlation between triglyceride value and Mediterranean Diet score (p=0.014). In the statistical comparison of the nutritional habits of the participants and the mean MEDAS score averages, it was found that there was a statistically significant increase in the MEDAS scores of the individuals who had reduced their consumption of animal fat and red meat in their diet (p=0.029According to the results of this study, the quality of life of individuals changes depending on their nutritional status, physical activity level, anthropometric measurements, and compliance with the Mediterranean diet during chemotherapy treatment. For this reason, individuals diagnosed with breast cancer should be educated about healthy nutrition and their nutritional status should be monitored throughout the treatment. Key words: Breast cancer, Quality of life, Nutritional status, Chemotherapy,