Acute Side effects and health care requirements in breast cancer patients treated with radiotherapy - Brief Communication

Sep 21, 2026

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Objectives focus on identifying unmet needs among breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. A pretest-posttest single-group experimental design was conducted with 28 patients treated at a radiation oncology clinic between November 2021 and April 2022. Data were collected via an Information Form, a Radiotherapy Acute Side Effects Follow-up Form, and the Supportive Care Needs Scale (SCNS-SF34). Reported acute effects included difficulty swallowing, sore throat, cough, weakness, loss of appetite, skin sensitivity, discomfort, pain, and skin reactions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Objectives and methods

Results and conclusion

Disclosure and study context

Open access and background

Radiotherapy adverse effects and rationale

Study design and follow-up

Participants and inclusion criteria

Data collection and supportive care assessment

Statistical analysis

Results

Brief Communication Acute Side effects and health care requirements in breast cancer patients treated with radiotherapy Gamze Temiz, PhD, BSN, Gul Cankaya, MD, Aslıhan Ozturk, MD, Zerrin Ozgen, PhD, MD. ABSTRACT Objectives: To identify the unmet needs of breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy Methods: Apretest-posttest single-group experimental design, a variation of the experimental research approach, was employed in this investigation. The study’s sample consisted of 28 breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy at the radiation oncology clinic of a training and research hospital between November 2021 and April 2022. The sample size was determined using G*Power 3.1 software. Data were collected using an Information Form, Radiotherapy Acute Side Effects Follow-up Form, and the Supportive Care Needs Scale (SCNS-SF34) . Results: Participants reported experiencing side effects such as difficulty swallowing, sore throat, cough, weakness, loss of appetite, skin sensitivity, discomfort, pain, and skin reactions. These reactions moderately impacted their daily activities, psychological well-being, and unmet needs in terms of patient care and support. Conclusion: Breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy may not express every side effect they experience to healthcare professionals. This study will contribute to the literature in terms of raising awareness by emphasizing the importance of addressing the comprehensive needs of breast cancer patients throughout their radiotherapy treatment journey. Keywords: radiotherapy, breast cancer, health care needs Saudi MedJ 2024; Vol. 45 (2): 199-204 doi: 10.15537/smj.2024.45.2.20230438 Disclosure. Authors have no conflict of interests, and the work was not supported or funded by any drug company. OPEN ACCESS Breastamocnagncwerostmaennds asand theranmkosstaspevhealesntecomnadlignleaadcnyg cause of cancer-related fatalities, following lung cancer. According to the World Health Organization’s 2020 report, breast cancer affected 2.3 million women, resulting in 685,000 fatalities.1-8 The management of breast cancer depends on its stage, involving surgical, radiotherapeutic, chemotherapeutic, and hormone therapy interventions, necessitating a multidisciplinary approach.7 Randomized trials and meta-analyses have demonstrated the efficacy of postoperative radiotherapy in augmenting disease-free survival and overall survival for both early and advanced breast cancer cases.2-9 Radiotherapy (RT) causes side effects such as erythema, desquamation, oedema, chest and arm pain, fatigue and skin irritation. These are known or expected side effects. Healthcare professionals can easily identify the patient’s needs in relation to these side effects. However, patients may not communicate some of their side-effect needs to healthcare professionals, or healthcare professionals may not recognize these needs. These needs, expressed as unmet needs, have a significant impact on patients’ quality of life. This study aims to contribute to the literature by defining the unmet needs of breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy due to potential acute side effects. Methods. This study used a pretest-posttest single group experimental design, which is one of the experimental study methods. The study population consisted of all patients who received radiotherapy for breast cancer at the Radiation Oncology Clinic of the Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology, Marmara University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey between November 2021 and April 2022. Taking into account that some patients may want to leave during the study, the sample size was set at 28 patients. Patients aged 18 years or older, diagnosed with breast cancer, receiving radiotherapy, without psychiatric illness, who agreed to participate in the study, and whose consent was obtained were included in the study. Approval for the study was obtained from the local ethics committee (20

FAQs

What unmet needs were investigated in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy?

The study targeted unmet needs related to patients’ acute radiotherapy side effects and the support and care they require during treatment.

What acute side effects did participants report?

Participants reported difficulty swallowing, sore throat, cough, weakness, loss of appetite, skin sensitivity, discomfort, pain, and skin reactions, which moderately affected daily activities and psychological well-being.

Why might some side-effect needs remain unaddressed by healthcare professionals?

The study notes that breast cancer patients may not express every side effect they experience, and healthcare professionals may not recognize all of patients’ needs.

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Eliana