Acute Side effects and health care requirements in breast cancer patients treated with radiotherapy

Article Figures & Data

Table 1

- Demographic characteristics of the participants.

Characteristics				n	%
Gender	Woman			28	100
Marital status	Married			21	75.0
Marital status	Single			7	25.0
Educational status	Illiterate			6	21.4
	Primary school			12	42.9
	Middle School			3	10.7
	High school			3	10.7
	University			4	14.3
Working status	Yes			2	7.1
Working status	No			26	92.9
Economical situation	Bad			5	17.9
	Middle			18	64.3
	Good			5	17.9
Non-cancerous disease receiving continuous treatment	No			18	64.3
	There is			10	35.7
	Diabetes			5	50.0
	Goiter			1	10.0
	Pituitary failure			1	10.0
	Heart disease			1	10.0
	Stomach disease			1	10.0
	Hypertension			1	10.0
Treatment time	0-1year			20	71.4
	1-5years			6	21.4
	5-10years			1	3.6
	more than 10 years			1	3.6
Place of treatment process	Home alone			3	10.7
	Pair at home			18	64.3
	With children			6	21.4
	Other			1	3.6
Smoking	No			22	78.6
	Yes			6	21.4
	0-1 year			1	25.0
	1-5 years			2	50.0
	5-10 years			1	25.0
Drinking Alcohol	No			28	100
Information on disease and treatment	Yes			21	75.0
Information on disease and treatment	No			7	25.0
Knowing the side effects of treatment	Yes			3	10.7
Knowing the side effects of treatment	No			25	89.3
Diagnosis	Invasive ductal carcinoma			21	75.0
	Invasive lobular carcinoma			3	10.7
	Invasive pleomorphic lobular carcinoma			1	3.6
	Invasive solid papillary carcinoma			1	3.6
	Tubular carcinoma			1	3.6
	Matrix-produced lonaplastic carcinoma			1	3.6
Treatment Status	Ambulatory			28	100
Stage of the disease	Stage 1			9	32.1
	Stage 2			16	57.1
	Stage 3			3	10.7
Radiotherapy treatment protocol	Hypofractionated			28	100
Application of additional treatment non-radiotherapy	No			27	96.4
	Yes			1	3.6
	Psychiatry			1	100
Numeric variables	n	Min.	Max.	Average	SD.
Age	28	35.00	78.00	55.39	13.03

SD: standard deviation

Table 2

- Distribution of side effects experienced by participants

Demographics	1st Week		2nd Week		3rd Week		4th Week
Demographics	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Swallowing difficulty
There is	-	-	2	7.1	7	25.0	7	25.0
No	28	100	26	92.9	21	75.0	21	75.0
Throat ache
There is	-	-	4	14.3	5	17.9	5	17.9
No	28	100	24	85.7	23	82.1	23	82.1
Cough
There is	-	-	2	7.1	4	14.3	3	10.7
No	28	100	26	92.9	24	85.7	25	89.3
Weakness
There is	-	-	4	14.3	3	10.7	3	10.7
No	28	100	24	85.7	25	89.3	25	89.3
Anorexia
There is	1	3.6	3	10.7	4	14.3	4	14.3
No	27	96.4	25	89.3	24	85.7	24	85.7
Toxicity (RTOG scale)
Grade 0	-	-	25	89.3	16	57.1	14	50.0
Grade 1	28	100	3	10.7	12	42.9	11	39.3
Grade 2	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	10.7
Presence of tenderness, discomfort, or pain at the treatment site
No	27	96.4	19	67.9	6	21.4	6	21.4
Little	1	3.6	8	28.6	17	60.7	15	53.6
Middle	-	-	1	3.6	5	17.9	7	25.0
Presence of itching in the treatment area
No	28	100	23	82.1	9	32.1	6	21.4
Little	-	-	4	14.3	15	53.6	15	53.6
Middle	-	-	1	3.6	4	14.3	7	25.0
Presence of burning sensation in the treatment area
No	25	89.3	19	67.9	11	39.3	5	17.9
Little	3	10.7	7	25.0	11	39.3	14	50.0
Middle	-	-	2	7.1	6	21.4	8	28.6
No	-	-					1	3.6
Little	28	100.0	24	85.7	21	75.0	17	60.7
Middle	-	-	4	14.3	2	7.1	5	17.9
No	-	-	-	-	5	17.9	6	21.4

RTOG: Radiation Oncology/Toxicity grading

Table 3

- distribution and comparison of participants’ scores from the supportive care needs scale (SCNS-SF34).

Characteristics	Pre-test				Final test					Materiality
Characteristics	n	Min	Max	Average	Dn	Min	Max	Average	SD	P-values
0psychological needs	28	24.00	100	68.71	28	32.00	100	82.07	18.42	t=-3.140, p=0.004
Health system and information needs	28	21.82	100	88.77	28	74.55	100	93.77	6.88	Z=-1.706, p=0.088
Physical and daily living needs	28	20.00	100	74.14	28	20.00	100	77.57	22.97	t=-1.090, p=0.285
Patient care and support needs	28	20.00	100	77.29	28	48.00	100	85.86	16.71	t=-2.203, p=0.036
Sexuality and problems	28	20.00	93.33	42.14	28	20.00	100	45.95	23.54	t=-1.057, p=0.300
Supportive maintenance requirements scale (SCNS-SF34)	28	23.53	97.65	74.92	28	56.47	95.88	82.56	11.25	t=-3.434, p=0.002