[Social consequences of breast cancer in women suffering from the disease]

The opinion poll was carried out among 350 patients suffering from the breast cancer who had been treated in 1995 in the Autonomous Public Oncological Health Centre in Lublin. Out of this group 155 women filled in their questionnaires correctly and the data included in them underwent the statistic analysis whose aim was to determine the consequences of the breast cancer detection for women and their families as well as to evaluate the influence of the disease on the social situation of the subjects. The average age of the subjects was 56.7 and the largest group consisted of women at the age of 60 to 88 (41.9%). In the majority of cases (85.2%) the detection took place by means of self-examination, 88.4% of the women primarily underwent surgical treatment, the remaining 11.6% had no chance for radical treatment. Metastases were recorded in 13.5% of the cases in the period of 5 years after the application of treatment. The neoplasm triggered serious outcomes in the mental sphere of the women's lives. Feelings of fear (56.8%) and sadness (56.1%) were dominating. The sense of low self-esteem occurred in 19.4% of the subjects. In 41.9% of the women increased irritability and nervous excitability were observed which resulted in a more frequent usage of the tranquilizers (by 32.3% of them). The disease caused changes also in the economical and professional spheres of the women's lives. 57.4% of the women claimed that their family income had become lower which was the result of their retirement and ceasing their professional careers in 49% of the cases. Only 16.1% of the women did not observe any impact of the disease on their professional work. The changes which appeared in their lives in connection with the disease created the need for support and help from the side of the medical staff (47.1%) as well as the need for contacts and exchange of experience with women in a similar situation (40%). At the same time only a small percentage of women (16.8%) had an access to the Amazons' clubs and wanted to benefit from their aid.