clinical aspects of foot health and their influence on quality of life among breast cancer survivors: a case–control study

Patricia Palomo-López,1 David Rodríguez-Sanz,2 Ricardo Becerro-de-Bengoa-Vallejo,3 Marta Elena Losa-Iglesias,4 Jorge Guerrero-Martín,5 Cesar Calvo-Lobo,6 Daniel López-López7 1Department of Nursing, University Center of Plasencia, University of Extremadura, 2Department of Physical Therapy and Podiatry, Physical Therapy and Health Sciences, Research Group, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, 3School of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, University Complutense of Madrid, 4Faculty of Health Sciences, University Rey Juan Carlos, 5Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Badajoz. University of Extremadura, 6Nursing and Physical Therapy Department, Institute of Biomedicine (IBIOMED), Universidad de León, Ponferrada, León, 7Research, Health and Podiatry Unit, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Nursing and Podiatry, Universidade da Coruña, Spain Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze and compare foot health and general health in a sample of women divided into two groups: 1) those with breast cancer and undergoing chemotherapy treatment and 2) healthy women without breast cancer and with normalized reference values.Methods: A case–control observational study was performed. Two-hundred women with a mean age of 51.00±8.75 years were recruited from podiatric medicine and surgery clinics from the University of Extremadura (Plasencia, Spain) and the Hospital Infanta Cristina (Badajoz, Spain). The women were divided into case and control groups (undergoing chemotherapy treatment and healthy women, respectively). The Foot Health Status Questionnaire was used to assess foot health domain scores.Results: Significant differences between both groups were seen for foot pain (P=0.003), foot function (P<0.001), physical activity (P<0.001), social capacity (P<0.001), and vigor (P=0.001). The remaining domains (footwear, general health, and foot health) did not show significant differences between the two groups (P≥0.01).Conclusion: Women with breast cancer presented a lower foot health-related quality of life. Clinical aspects with emphasis on foot pain and disability were increased. Furthermore, physical activity, social capacity, and vigor were affected. Therefore, general health care and foot problem prevention for breast cancer survivors should be given more consideration. Keywords: breast cancer, chemotherapy, foot injury, quality of life