The Development of a Comprehensive Instrument to Measure Symptoms and Symptom Distress in Women after Treatment for Breast Cancer

Abstract

There is an insufficient amount of research about the symptoms, symptom distress, and symptom trajectory of breast cancer patients once adjuvant treatment for breast cancer is complete. Though these women get on with living after therapy, some still experience physical symptoms and emotional concerns. The life-long consequences of breast cancer treatment must be recognized, addressed, and managed if survivors are to enjoy the lives they will go on to live. Research during this critical time is essential. Young women who suddenly feel older because of menopausal symptoms sustained as a result of life-saving therapies have the potential to develop serious problems. The specific aims of the study were as follows: (1) identify the full scope of symptoms and symptom distress in women with breast cancer after adjuvant treatment, (2) develop a comprehensive instrument to measure symptoms and symptom distress in women with breast cancer after adjuvant treatment, and (3) develop a grant proposal to support the metric testing of the new instrument. This cross-sectional, correlational study was guided by the UCSF Symptom Management Conceptual Model. The author obtained data from 100 women (50 women 1-6 months after therapy and 50 women 6-12 months after therapy) using a battery of instruments measuring uncertainty (Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale), menopausal symptoms (Breast Cancer Prevention Trial Checklist), and symptom distress (McCorkle Symptom Distress Scale, Symptom Checklist-Revised, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast). Descriptive statistics provided information on demographic and medical information. Rank/ordering identified the most prominent/persistent symptoms causing distress. The symptoms are currently in the process of being incorporated into a new and comprehensive instrument to measure symptom distress. The psychometrics of the new instrument will be tested in future studies.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA456051

Entities

People

  • Jean K. Brown
  • Marcia M. Boehmke

Organizations

  • State University of New York at Albany

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Behavioral Sciences
  • Biomedical Research
  • Breast Cancer
  • Data Analysis
  • Data Science
  • Department Of Defense
  • Descriptive Analytics
  • Health
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Information Science
  • Medical Personnel
  • Neoplasms
  • Neuropathy
  • Quality Of Life
  • Statistics
  • Uncertainty

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

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