Appendix E. DCIS QOL treatment considerations for patients who received endocrine therapy compared to patients who did not

Type of surgery received: Relative Frequency (%) within each group1
QOL considerations / Endocrine therapy / No endocrine therapy / Chi square test P value
N=54 / N=47 / Alpha <0.05
Significant differences
Hair loss / 26 / 11 / 0.05*
Hot flushes / 19 / 4 / 0.027*
Feeling sad / 6 / 19 / 0.035*
Pain in your arm or shoulder / 7 / 0 / 0.057*
No difference
Fear of the DCIS returning or getting worse / 61 / 58 / 0.708
Worry about dying / 41 / 34 / 0.488
Receiving emotional support from your family or friends / 39 / 34 / 0.614
Financial difficulties caused by your physical condition or medical treatment / 37 / 34 / 0.754
Feeling satisfied with your health / 41 / 23 / 0.064
Your ability to enjoy life / 33 / 28 / 0.537
Feeling content with your quality of life / 33 / 19 / 0.108
Feeling satisfied with how your breast/s would look and feel after treatment / 22 / 30 / 0.386
Worry about the effect of stress on your illness / 26 / 23 / 0.77
Feeling close to your partner (or the person who is your main support) / 24 / 26 / 0.866
Feeling tired / 24 / 29 / 0.518
Needing to rest / 22 / 28 / 0.528
Being limited in doing either your work or other daily activities / 24 / 21 / 0.738
Trouble sleeping / 26 / 21 / 0.584
Interference of your physical condition or medical treatment with your family life / 17 / 26 / 0.273
Feeling physically less attractive / 19 / 21 / 0.729
Difficulty looking at yourself naked / 11 / 23 / 0.1
Feeling unsatisfied, regretful or unhappy about your decision / 20 / 15 / 0.473
Worry about your family members developing the same condition / 20 / 11 / 0.182
Feeling less feminine / 15 / 17 / 0.762
Feeling close to your family and friends / 22 / 15 / 0.347
Difficulty remembering things / 15 / 15 / 0.991
Feeling satisfied with how your donor site would look after you had fully recovered from treatment (if you had a mastectomy + reconstruction) / 11 / 17 / 0.391
Feeling sexually attractive / 13 / 15 / 0.779
Pain caused by radiotherapy / 20 / 13 / 0.308
Loss of sensation at your donor site (if you had a mastectomy + reconstruction) / 11 / 13 / 0.798
Feeling weak / 11 / 19 / 0.257
Enjoying the things you usually do for fun / 17 / 13 / 0.582
Feeling satisfied with family communication about your condition / 17 / 11 / 0.382
Pain interfering with your daily activities / 15 / 9 / 0.329
Ability to move your arm around, raise or move your arm sideways / 15 / 9 / 0.329
Your family accepting your condition / 17 / 17 / 0.962
Stiffness or tightness at your donor site (if you had a mastectomy + reconstruction) / 7 / 15 / 0.228
Difficulty doing strenuous activities like carrying a heavy shopping bag or suitcase / 7 / 17 / 0.136
Feeling unwell / 13 / 15 / 0.779
Your interest in sex / 9 / 11 / 0.817
Swelling of your arm or shoulder / 15 / 4 / 0.076
Pain in the affected breast / 15 / 9 / 0.329
Feeling angry or irritable / 11 / 13 / 0.798
Changes in your body weight / 9 / 11 / 0.817
Swelling at your donor site (if you had a mastectomy + reconstruction) / 7 / 9 / 0.838
Needing help eating, dressing, washing yourself or using the toilet / 4 / 11 / 0.171
Interference of your physical condition or medical treatment with your social activities / 7 / 11 / 0.57
Nausea / 9 / 6 / 0.502
Affected breast feeling tight or uncomfortable / 4 / 9 / 0.308
Your ability to have sex / 6 / 4 / 0.764
Being satisfied with your sex life / 6 / 9 / 0.56
Being forced to spend time in bed / 2 / 11 / 0.062
Reduced or loss of sensation (feeling) in your arm or shoulder / 4 / 4 / 0.887
Food or drink tasting different from usual / 4 / 6 / 0.536
Difficulty concentrating on things like reading a newspaper or watching TV / 1 / 9 / 0.124
Sexual enjoyment / 4 / 6 / 0.536
Pain at your donor site (if you had a mastectomy + reconstruction) / 4 / 6 / 0.536
Your arm or shoulder feeling weak / 4 / 4 / 0.887
Diarrhoea / 0 / 6 / 0.59
Difficulty taking a long or short walk / 6 / 2 / 0.378
Affected breast feeling tender or over-sensitive / 4 / 4 / 0.887
Frequency of sexual activity / 4 / 2 / 0.642
Reduced appetite / 2 / 2 / 0.921
Constipation / 2 / 6 / 0.244
Feeling irritable / 4 / 4 / 0.887
Your arm or shoulder feeling tender / 2 / 2 / 0.921
Problems with skin on or around the affected breast (itchy, dry, flaky) / 0 / 6 / 0.06
Vomiting / 2 / 4 / 0.478
Swelling of the affected breast / 2 / 2 / 0.921
Stiffness in your arm or shoulder / 4 / 0 / 0.183
Having a dry mouth / 2 / 2 / 0.921
Painful, irritated or watery eyes / 2 / 2 / 0.921
Feeling short of breath / 2 / 0 / 0.348
Headaches / 0 / 2 / 0.281

1 This analysis includes all 101 respondents