Preoperative HADS-Scores and Quality of Life One Year after Surgery for Breast Cancer

Abstract

Purpose: The use of HADS-score is worldwide accepted as a screening tool to identify cancer patients with additional need for psychooncological support. Elevated values for anxiety respectively depression are correlating with higher complaints like e.g. postoperative pain. We tried to investigate patient’s situation at least one year following surgery for breast cancer. Methods: In April 2016, 91 patients with breast cancer, operated before April 2015, were asked to participate at a survey regarding different parameters of their quality of life. The questionnaire included the feeling of attractiveness, satisfaction with postoperative pain and scar formation as well as the overall satisfaction using a visual analogue scale (VAS; 0 – 10). These results were correlated with the preoperatively applied HADS-scores. For statistical analysis SPSS was used (Student’s paired t test). Results: 69 women (75,8 %) responded the questionnaire. Of these 8 (11,6 %) respectively 15 (21,7 %) has had an elevated score for depression respectively anxiety and 9 women (13 %) had refused to fill out the HADS-form at the time of surgery. There was no significant difference regarding age, tumor stage, type of surgery and postoperative systemic therapy in the different groups. The statistical analysis showed that there was significantly more satisfaction with the postoperative pain level in patients with HADS-D > 7 vs. HADS-D < 7 (9,5 vs. 7,6; p