Giedzinska Antoinette S, Meyerowitz Beth E, Ganz Patricia A, Rowland Julia H
University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-1061, USA.
Ann Behav Med. 2004 Aug;28(1):39-51. doi: 10.1207/s15324796abm2801_6.
Little is known about the experiences of women from varying ethnic groups following treatment for breast cancer.
This study provides a comprehensive description of health-related quality of life (HRQL) and identifies problem areas and predictive factors for a multiethnic sample.
Six hundred twenty-one breast cancer survivors from 2 major cities participated within 5 years of their diagnosis. Participants were African Americans, Latinas, Asian Americans, and Whites. Patients filled out questionnaire packets comprising standardized instruments related to HRQL, psychological adjustment, cancer-related treatment, and demographic variables. Data were analysed using 2 methods: (a) observation of findings prior to controlling for demographic and treatment variables and (b) observation of findings after controlling for variables confounded with ethnicity.
Findings indicate that most women experienced good HRQL. Group differences revealed that African Americans found more meaning in life as a result of having breast cancer, and Latinas reported more physical symptoms. Age predicted aspects of HRQL for African Americans and Whites.
This study comprehensively assessed HRQL following breast cancer for ethnic minority women. Most breast cancer survivors in this study reported levels of HRQL comparable to established norms. However, some quality of life impediments surfaced in particular groups. Researchers should not assume that predictive models of breast cancer HRQL are the same across ethnic groups.
对于不同种族的女性在接受乳腺癌治疗后的经历，我们了解甚少。
本研究全面描述了与健康相关的生活质量（HRQL），并确定了一个多民族样本的问题领域和预测因素。
来自两个主要城市的621名乳腺癌幸存者在确诊后的5年内参与了研究。参与者包括非裔美国人、拉丁裔、亚裔美国人和白人。患者填写了问卷包，其中包含与HRQL、心理调适、癌症相关治疗以及人口统计学变量相关的标准化工具。数据采用两种方法进行分析：（a）在控制人口统计学和治疗变量之前观察结果，以及（b）在控制与种族混淆的变量之后观察结果。
研究结果表明，大多数女性的HRQL良好。组间差异显示，非裔美国人因患乳腺癌而在生活中找到了更多意义，而拉丁裔报告了更多的身体症状。年龄预测了非裔美国人和白人的HRQL方面。
本研究全面评估了少数族裔女性乳腺癌后的HRQL。本研究中的大多数乳腺癌幸存者报告的HRQL水平与既定规范相当。然而，特定群体中出现了一些生活质量障碍。研究人员不应假设乳腺癌HRQL的预测模型在不同种族群体中是相同的。
