ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2026
Trajectories and risk factors for long-term breast symptoms following breast-conserving surgery and radiotherapy: a single centre analysis.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeLong-term breast symptoms (pain, sensitivity, swelling and skin problems) after breast cancer treatment can affect survivors' quality-of-life. The trajectory of breast symptoms over time and risk factors associated with their development are not well understood.
methodsThis study built on the work of the international prospective REQUITE cohort study. Patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy (± chemotherapy) completed the EORTC-QLQ-BR23 questionnaire items relating to breast symptoms at four timepoints up to 24 months following radiotherapy. Patients at were re-contacted to complete additional psychometric questionnaires on different aspects of pain perception and the Hospital Anxiety & Depression Scale (HADS), with 237 respondents.
resultsAverage breast symptoms peaked on completion of radiotherapy but returned to levels equal to or below baseline by 24 months. Patients with more severe breast symptoms at baseline continued to have worse symptoms long-term. In multivariable mixed models, higher breast symptom scores were associated with smoking (p = 0.036), any analgesic use at baseline (p = 0.005), and post-operative haematoseroma (p = 0.034), while older age and use of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were protective (p = < 0.001 and p = 0.045 respectively). Psychometric questionnaire scores for life interference and pain severity perception were associated with persistently increased breast symptoms at 24 months on multivariable analysis, while anxiety (as determined by HADS) was associated on univariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: This study identifies several risk factors for persistent breast symptoms including younger age, smoking, and post-operative haematoseroma. This particularly highlights the importance of smoking cessation and use of IMRT in women at higher risk of side effects.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.