Health-related quality of life is now considered an important endpoint in cancer clinical trials. It has been shown that assessing quality of life in cancer patients could contribute to improved treatment and could even serve as a prognostic factor along with medical parameters. At the end of primary breast cancer treatment, most women experience a mixture of elation, fear, and uncertainty. The post-treatment transitional period is a time of considerable psychosocial distress. The paradoxical increase in anxiety has been observed at the end of both radiation and systemic chemotherapy. Nevertheless, many women find positive meaning and describe posttraumatic growth from the cancer experience. It is opssible for some of patients to have sexual problems, feel themselves alone, or have early menopause in case of chemotherapy.
Emotional Effects of Breast Cancer
It’s also understandable for you to feel sadness about cancer and treatment. Some people feel as though they will always be stuck where they are, that certain parts of breast cancer and treatment will be constants in life. It’s also not uncommon to have trouble sleeping, or find yourself sleeping too much. In day-to-day life, feelings of irritability, impatience, or numbness can happen.