Improved (N = 68) | Unimproved (N = 38) | p value | |
---|---|---|---|
Demographic variables | |||
Age at survey, years (mean SD) | 50.0 (7.8) | 46.7 (9.2) | 0.13 |
In paired relations (n %) | 48 (71) | 34 (90) | 0.03 |
Having children living at home (n %) | 26 (38) | 22 (58) | 0.05 |
High level of education (>13 years) (n %) | 37 (54) | 26 (68) | 0.16 |
Cancer-related variables | |||
Months since diagnosis (mean SD) | 15.5 (5.6) | 16.2 (5.4) | 0.55 |
Cancer diagnoses (n %) | |||
Breast | 42 (62) | 22 (58) | 0.56 |
Gynaecological | 21 (31) | 12 (32) | |
Lymphoma | 4 (6) | 3 (8) | |
Oesophagus | 1 (1) | 1 (2) | |
Treatment modalities (n %) | |||
Surgery | 56 (82) | 30 (79) | 0.67 |
Chemotherapy | 50 (74) | 29 (76) | 0.75 |
Radiotherapy | 50 (74) | 29 (76) | 0.75 |
Combinations | 28 (41) | 17 (45) | 0.72 |
Co-morbidity and lifestyle variables | |||
Being obese (BMI ≥30) (n %) | 12 (18) | 3 (8) | 0.17 |
Somatic comorbidity (n %) | 7 (10) | 3 (8) | 0.69 |
Musculoskeletal comorbidity (n %) | 13 (34) | 19 (28) | 0.50 |
Daily smokers (n %) | 4 (6) | 5 (14) | 0.20 |
Physical activity index (mean SD) | 5.3 (1.8) | 5.1 (1.7) | 0.54 |
EORTC QLQ-C30 functions (mean SD) | |||
Physical functioning (PF) | 79.7 (14.9) | 75.7 (14.5) | 0.21 |
Role functioning (RF) | 54.0 (27.0) | 46.1 (30.1) | 0.08 |
Emotional functioning (EF) | 73.9 (16.7) | 68.9 (21.2) | 0.31 |
Cognitive functioning (CF) | 75.4 (18.4) | 71.9 (19.4) | 0.25 |
Social functioning (SF) | 61.7 (21.9) | 57.9 (25.3) | 0.53 |
Global health and quality of life (GQL) | 60.7 (17.3) | 55.3 (16.5) | 0.09 |
EORTC QLQ-C30 symptoms (mean SD) | |||
Fatigue | 45.6 (24.0) | 58.2 (26.4) | 0.01 |
Nausea/vomiting | 5.6 (10.6) | 8.8 (13.3) | 0.11 |
Pain | 30.1 (28.3) | 32.5 (30.9) | 0.68 |
Dyspnea | 26.4 (26.3) | 22.8 (24.6) | 0.53 |
Sleep problems | 37.8 (34.8) | 34.5 (27.4) | 0.50 |
Appetite loss | 11.9 (22.2) | 15.8 (26.6) | 0.40 |
Constipation | 18.7 (26.9) | 18.4 (31.7) | 0.92 |
Diarrhea | 17.2 (31.7) | 18.4 (26.5) | 0.68 |
Financial problems | 7.5 (18.2) | 15.8 (29.8) | 0.06 |
Fatigue Questionnaire | |||
Physical fatigue (P-Fat) (mean SD) | 13.0 (3.4) | 14.4 (3.2) | 0.04 |
Mental fatigue (M-Fat) (mean SD) | 6.1 (1.8) | 6.0 (1.9) | 0.93 |
Total fatigue (T-Fat) (mean SD) | 19.0 (4.6) | 20.5 (4.2) | 0.13 |
Chronic fatigue (n %) | 19 (29) | 13 (35) | 0.73 |