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A Comparative Investigation of the Influence of Psychosocial Factors on Quality of Life in Urban-Rural Breast Cancer Survivors in Ireland

Each year in Ireland approximately 2,600 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and one in 10 women will get breast cancer at some stage in their lives. Breast cancer patients are usually prescribed treatments, such as endocrine therapy, to prevent their breast cancer from returning. Our previous research has found urban-rural variations in quality of life (QoL) in survivors of stages I-III breast cancer in Ireland prescribed endocrine therapy, with women living in rural areas having a better QoL and experiencing a lower endocrine therapy side-effect burden than women living in urban areas. It is unclear why this is the case and the aim of this project is to investigate the influence of psychosocial factors, such as coping skills and social support on QoL and endocrine therapy side-effects in urban and rural breast cancer survivors prescribed endocrine therapy in Ireland. Women with a diagnosis of stages I–III breast cancer prescribed endocrine therapy have been identified from the National Cancer Registry Ireland and have completed a postal survey measuring their views and experiences of taking endocrine therapy for breast cancer (N =1606; response rate =66%). A measure of urban–rural classification was created using settlement size (area size), population density and proximity to treatment hospital. QoL was measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-G) and an endocrine symptom subscale. QoL in breast cancer survivors is not simply about proximity and access to healthcare services but may include individual and community level psychosocial factors.