[Quality of life and social support for women with breast cancer: research study]

The expression "quality of life" was used for the first time by Pigou in 1920 in a textbook on economy and welfare , but was only regarded seriously in social terms in the 1960's before becoming a medical issue. Although it is difficult to define, the WHO has stated that "the quality of life is how an individual perceives his own life, in the light of the cultural context and values of his/her environment ,and his/her aims, expectations and worries. According to the Outcome Research the quality of life becomes a mere quantification of some health aspects described ty the patient using standardized tools. The theoretical model adopted was the concept of social support as a determining element in improving the quality of life, devised by J.E Ware , that emphasizes how the quality of life in oncological patients is positively influenced by strong social support. The aim of the study is to evaluate the existence of a positive relationship between the perception of family support and the quality of life in young women who have survived breast cancer.