Trends in Health-Related Quality of Life After a Diagnosis of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

Studies of quality of life (QoL) are scarce among survivors of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The objective of this study was to assess long-term QoL in DCIS survivors in relation to age at diagnosis, time since diagnosis, and treatments received. We assessed physical and mental measures of health-related QoL in 1,604 patients with DCIS diagnosed in 1997 to 2006 with up to four follow-up interviews. We further compared baseline QoL to 1,055 control patients without DCIS. QoL was measured using the validated Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 Health Status Survey questionnaire. Among patients with DCIS, we examined trends in QoL over time since diagnosis using generalized linear regression models, adjusting for confounders. We tested for effect modification by surgical treatment choice, post-treatment endocrine therapy use, and age at diagnosis. Both physical and mental measures of QoL among DCIS survivors at fewer than 2 years after diagnosis were comparable to controls. Mental measures of QoL among patients with DCIS declined at ≥ 10 years after diagnosis and were significantly lower than at less than 2 years after diagnosis (47.4 v 52.0; P < .01). In the first 5 years after a DCIS diagnosis, mental QoL was significantly higher among women diagnosed at ages 50 to 74 years compared with those diagnosed at ages 28 to 49 years, although this difference was not sustained in later time periods. QoL after a DCIS diagnosis was generally comparable to that of women of similar age without a personal history of DCIS. Our findings suggest that DCIS survivors, and particularly those diagnosed at a younger age, may benefit from support for mental QoL.