Body Image and Quality of Life in Female Patients with Breast Cancer and Healthy Women

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Background & aim:  The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the relationship between body image and quality of life in female patients with breast cancer and healthy women. Methods:In the current descriptive, causal, comparative, cross-sectional study, 50 women with breast cancer, referring to the radiotherapy and oncology clinic of Imam Reza Hospital (Mashhad, Iran) and 50 healthy women, referring to the same clinic, were selected via available sampling. Informed consent forms were obtained from the subjects. A demographic questionnaire, Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (consisting of 46 items), and short-form health survey (SF-36) were used as the study tools. For data analysis, Pearson’s correlation test and t-test were performed to determine the differences between the two groups. Data were analyzed, using SPSS version 16. Results: The results showed a statistically significant difference between female patients with cancer and healthy women in terms of quality of life (t=-4.1, P<0.001). Moreover, a significant direct relation was found between body image (and its components) and quality of life (and its components). Conclusion: The current findings suggest a significant difference between healthy and cancer-stricken women in terms of quality of life and body image. Also, higher scores of body image in cancer patients were associated with higher quality of life.