Quality of life in women with breast cancer and the use of complementary and alternative medicine.

The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of life and complementary and alternative medicine use among patients with breast cancer in Turkey. The sample consists of women who had modified undergone radical mastectomy or breast conserving surgery. Data were collected using a questionnaire addressing personal/medical characteristics use of complementary and alternative medicine and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) to measure quality of life. A majority of subjects underwent modified radical mastectomy procedures. The social and physical mean scores were the highest and role physical and role emotional mean score were the lowest. The most common complementary and alternative methods were praying, exercise, and herbs use. In conclusion, women with breast cancer have a moderate level of quality of life, and that they use complementary and alternative methods widely.