Perceived Determinants of Quality of Life Among Women With Breast Cancer After Radiotherapy: A Qualitative Content Analysis
Keywords:
Breast Cancer, Radiotherapy, Quality of Life, Women’s Health, Survivorship, Qualitative Content Analysis, Patient Experience, Supportive CareAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to explore the perceived determinants of quality of life among women with breast cancer after completion of radiotherapy.
Methods and Materials: This qualitative study was conducted using a conventional content analysis approach. Participants were 24 women with breast cancer in Canada who had completed radiotherapy and were recruited through purposive sampling with maximum variation in age, marital status, educational level, employment status, cancer stage, treatment history, and time elapsed since radiotherapy. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews, a demographic and clinical information form, and field notes. Interviews focused on women’s perceptions of physical, emotional, social, relational, healthcare-related, and existential factors affecting their quality of life after radiotherapy. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis. Meaning units were identified, condensed, coded, compared, and organized into subcategories and main categories. Credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability were strengthened through prolonged engagement with the data, peer debriefing, reflexive memo writing, participant confirmation of selected interpretations, and maintenance of an audit trail.
Findings: The analysis revealed five main categories that explained the perceived determinants of quality of life after radiotherapy: physical recovery, emotional reconstruction, relational support, healthcare continuity, and restored personal agency. Physical recovery included fatigue, pain, skin and breast changes, sleep disturbance, and reduced physical capacity. Emotional reconstruction reflected fear of recurrence, uncertainty, altered self-confidence, emotional exhaustion, and gradual acceptance. Relational support included family understanding, partner communication, peer support, and reduced isolation. Healthcare continuity involved information, accessible follow-up, side-effect management, and trust in professionals. Restored personal agency referred to return to roles, self-care strategies, body acceptance, and redefinition of normal life.
Conclusion: Quality of life among women with breast cancer after radiotherapy is shaped by an interconnected recovery process involving physical symptoms, emotional adjustment, social support, healthcare responsiveness, and the reconstruction of personal control. Post-radiotherapy survivorship care should therefore extend beyond clinical monitoring and include comprehensive physical, psychological, relational, informational, and practical support.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Seyed Amir Saadati; Nadereh Saadati, Abbie Wilson, Karina Batthyany (Author)
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