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Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women. Due to the large number of women living with breast cancer and the increasing incidence of this cancer, it is very important to understand the factors determining the quality of life (QOL) of patients., The Aim of the Study: The aim of the study was to determine the impact of time to initiation of treatment on the quality of life of women with breast cancer., Materials and Methods: The study involved 324 women with breast cancer, treated at the Podkarpackie Oncology Centre in Brzozów, Poland. The study was conducted using a diagnostic survey, using a standardised questionnaire to measure the quality of life of women treated for breast cancer, i.e., the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and the QLQ-BR23 module, as well as a proprietary survey questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistica 10.0 software (StatSoft Inc., 2011). A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: The examined women had a reduced overall quality of life and health (M = 53.88). The quality of life was higher in women who consulted a doctor the earliest after noticing initial symptoms of the disease, i.e., up to one week (M = 57.58), compared to patients who delayed the decision (over four weeks; M = 47.8) ( p = 0.002). The quality of life was also considered higher by women who received treatment within two weeks of diagnosis (M = 56.79) and was lower for patients who waited for treatment for more than two months (M = 43.68). Statistically significant relationships were demonstrated for functional scales and disease intensity., Conclusions: Women diagnosed with breast cancer had a considerably lower overall quality of life. A relatively higher quality of life was experienced by patients who consulted a doctor the earliest after discovering symptoms of the disease and those whose waiting time for treatment was shorter. In a systematic manner, the individual stages of diagnosis should be maximally reduced and breast cancer treatment initiated without delay.

Background: Breast cancer treatment is an aggressive therapy that affects the deterioration of women's quality of life (QOL) in many areas. Knowledge about factors that influence the assessment of the QOL is of particular importance. The aim of the study was to analyse areas of the quality of life of women with breast cancer, taking into account social and demographic factors., Methods: The research was carried included 324 women with breast cancer. The research was carried out using a diagnostic survey, the author's questionnaire and a standardized questionnaire for measuring the QOL of women treated for breast cancer, ie the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and QLQ-QLQ module BR23. Statistical analysis uses Statistica 10.0 software. The results were considered statistically significant when the calculated probability met the inequality of p.

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women. The results of breast cancer treatment to a large extent depend on the time of the primary diagnosis of the disease., Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the most common causes of the delay and the delay time in the diagnosis of breast cancer in Polish women., Materials and Methods: The study was performed using a diagnostic survey and analysis of medical documentation from the Subcarpathian Regional Oncology Center, Poland. A total of 231 patients with diagnosed breast cancer were recruited to the study., Results: Delays in diagnosing of breast cancer were found in 83.1% of all the patients. The average time from the first symptom observation by a woman to the first medical consultation was on average 61.7 days. The most common cause of the delay in medical consultation in the examined group was a fear of diagnosing cancer (31.2%)., Conclusions: The examined women require permanent health education in the field of breast cancer and the importance of early diagnosis of the disease for the effectiveness of treatment and prognosis., (© 2019 MEDPRESS.)

Background: Up to now, there have been very few studies concerning delay issues in the treatment of breast cancer in Poland. The aim of the study was to determine the time and causes of delay in the treatment of women diagnosed with breast cancer and the importance of demographic and social factors on the occurrence of delays in the implementation of therapy., Material and Methods: The study was conducted in 2015-2016 in the Podkarpackie Oncology Centre in Brzozów for a group of 231 women. The time criterion of the delays in the treatment of women suffering from breast cancer was more than 1 month from the first oncological consultation to therapy initiation. The diagnostic poll method and medical documentation analysis were used. Research tools included a survey questionnaire and research protocol. The collected material was subjected to the statistical analysis using the χ 2 test. The values of p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant., Results: Delays were noted in 62.8% of the study participants and the mean delay time took 12.6 weeks. The main causes of the delays were: fear that the diagnosis would be confirmed, long waiting time for specialist investigations and their results, age, marital status and professional activity. No statistically significant correlation was found between profession, education level and the place of residence with therapy delays., Conclusions: Delays in the treatment of breast cancer patients were noted in the majority of study participants. A correlation was observed between the delays and chosen sociodemographic factors. Med Pr. 2019;70(1):89-98., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)

Introduction: In women diagnosed with breast cancer one of the methods most commonly applied in therapy is surgical treatment, which consists in a breast conserving surgery or total removal of the breast. The applied type of surgical treatment may exert an effect on the satisfaction with life of the women., Objective: The aim of the study was evaluation of the satisfaction with life among women surgically treated for breast cancer, according to the type of surgery on the breast, and the time elapsed since its performance., Material and Methods: The study included 121 patients of the Sub-Carpathian Oncology Centre in Brzozów, south-east Poland, who had undergone surgical treatment due to breast cancer. The women expressed their informed consent to participate in the study. The method of a diagnostic survey was applied., Results: The women obtained a mediocre result in satisfaction with life - 5.64 sten scores. Patients who had undergone mastectomy had a considerably lower level of satisfaction with life, compared to those after breast-conserving surgery (4.73 sten scores vs. 6.30 sten scores). Evaluations of the satisfaction with life in the examined group significantly differed according to the time elapsed since performance of surgery., Conclusions: There is a need for undertaking actions directed to women who have undergone surgical treatment for breast cancer within the period from 2-5 years, aimed at improving the satisfaction with life in this group of patients. In addition, special support should be provided for women who have undergone mastectomy, especially during the period of more than 1 and up to 2 years.

Objective: The aim of the study was evaluation of satisfaction with life among women ill with breast cancer, with consideration of selected demographic and social factors., Material and Methods: In the study participated 121 patients from the Sub-Carpathian Oncology Centre in Brzozów, Poland, who had undergone surgical treatment due to breast cancer. The method of a diagnostic survey was used. The research instruments were an author-constructed questionnaire and the Satisfaction with Life Scale., Results: Women who received surgical treatment due to breast cancer evaluated their satisfaction with life on a mediocre level. Younger patients had a lower satisfaction with life than those who were older. Women living in urban areas evaluated their satisfaction with life in more positive terms than rural women. In turn, education level, marital status and material standard had no effect on the level of satisfaction with life among the women in the study., Conclusions: According to the SWLS, women with the diagnosis of breast cancer obtained a mean result of 5.64 sten scores Younger women evaluated their satisfaction with life in more positive terms than those who were older. Women who lived in urban areas obtained a considerably higher result according to the SWLS, compared to rural inhabitants. Marital status, education level, material standard and occupational activity of the women were insignificant in the respondents' evaluation of satisfaction with life.

Introduction: Despite great progress in the diagnostics and treatment, breast cancer still remains the most frequently diagnosed malignant cancer in women. The outcomes of cancer treatment depend, to a considerable extent, on the degree of acceptance of the illness. The objective of the study was determination of the level of acceptance of the disease among the examined women with breast cancer., Material and Methods: The study covered a group of 231 women who received treatment for breast cancer in the Rev. Bronislaw Markiewicz Subcarpathian Oncology Centre in Brzozow, south-eastern Poland, and conducted by the method of a diagnostic survey, using an author constructed questionnaire and the standard Acceptance of Illness Scale, adapted by Z. Juczyński. Statistical analyses were performed using the software IBM SPSS v. 21.0.0.1. The p values p≤0.05 were considered statistically significant., Results: The mean level of acceptance of the illness in the examined group of women was 26.53 (SD = 7.71; Me = 26). The largest number of respondents (50.6%) obtained scores within the range of 20-29, according to the AIS Scale. From among the adopted variables, the level of acceptance of the illness significantly varied according to age and occupational activity. However, no such differences were confirmed according to the place of residence, marital status, education level, or the type of occupation performed., Conclusions: In the examined group of women, a mediocre level of acceptance of cancer was observed. The respondents' age and occupational situation exerted a significant effect on the level of acceptance of the illness. The results of the study should be considered as satisfactory because the number of women with a high level of acceptance of breast cancer was more than twice as high as those ones with a low acceptance of the disease.