Determinants of satisfaction with treatment outcome in Chinese women with breast cancer

Abstract

Objective: To explore determinants of Chinese women’s eval-uation of their breast cancer treatment outcome.Method: 109 Chinese women diagnosed with breast cancerwithin the past 2 years were randomly recruited from two regionalhospitals. Each patient’s treatment outcome evaluations (TOEs)were assessed by a modified version of the Breast Cancer Deci-sion-Making Questionnaire (BCDMQ), perceived difficulty andconfidence in making the right decision by visual analogue scalesand self-efficacy (SE) by the GSeSc.Results: Subjects’ (mean age 48.7 years) responses indicateperceived difficulty in decision-making correlated positively(r.52, p.001), while confidence that the right decision wasmade (r-.48, p.001) and SE (r-.41, p001) correlated neg-atively with poor overall TOEs. Stepwise regression tested if thesethree determinants, plus age, marital status, education and type ofsurgery affected overall TOEs and its composites (physical ap-pearence, social relationships, and normalization). Results indicateperceived difficulties in making decisions (.28, p.003), con-fidence in making a right decision (-.35, p.001) and beingsingle (.19, p.023) or divorced (.24, p.005) predictedpoor overall TOEs. Perceived difficulties (.23, p.01), havingconfidence (-.42, p001), and being single (.19, p.023)predicted negative evaluation of appearence. Perceived difficulties(.38, p.001) and being divorced (.21p.02) predictednegative impact on social relationship. Having confidence (-.31, p.001) and SE (-.28, p.003) predicted poor evaluationof re-establishing normalcy.Conclusions: Unmarried women who have difficulty choosing atreatment are likely to be unhappy with their treatment outcome,particularly in terms of felt appearence and social relationships.Decision help should improve satisfaction.