Background: This study was aimed at comparing the quality of life, body image, and perceived social support in women with breast cancer surgery. Patients and Methods: Patients receiving breast-conserving surgery (BCS) (n = 72), mastectomy alone (n = 44), and mastectomy with breast reconstruction (n = 41) were evaluated using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), the EORTC Breast Cancer Module (QLQ-BR23), the Body Image Scale (BIS) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Results: The results indicated that the BCS group had a better body image compared with the other 2 groups and better role functioning compared with the mastectomy-alone group. In the reconstruction group, body image correlated with perceived social support, especially from family and significant others. Conclusion: These results suggest that a positive perception of a supportive social network can help women with breast reconstruction to better cope with the psychological effects of surgery on their body image.

The aim of this study was to evaluate caregiver burden and quality of life (QoL) in active treatment settings and hospice care for 76 family caregivers of advanced cancer patients, using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form and the Caregiver Burden Inventory. Compared to the active group, the hospice group reported significantly lower QoL scores in mental component summary score and higher scores in general health subscale and in physical component summary score. Future research needs to further investigate the complexities of caregivers' needs, especially in the emotional and mental domains, and offer effective, clinically proven interventions.

Background: Multimorbidity has been associated with adverse health outcomes, such as reduced physical function, poor quality-of-life (QoL), poor self-rated health. Objective: The association between quality of life, social support, sense of loneliness and sex and age in older adult patients affected by two or more chronic diseases (multimorbidity) was evaluated. Methods: Patients n. 162 with multimorbidity and living with family members. Tests: MMSE-Mini-Mental-State-Examination; ADL-Activities of Daily Living; Social Schedule: demographic variables; Loneliness Scale -de Jong Gierveld; Quality-of-Life-FACT-G; WHOQOL-BRIEF Social relationships. Statistical analysis: Multivariate Regression Analysis. Results: The patients with three or more diseases have worse dimensions of FACT-G total score (p = 0.029), QoL Physical-well-being (p = 0.003), Social well-being (p = 0.003), Emotional-well-being (p = 0.012), Functional-well-being (p < 0.001), than those with two. Multiple linear regression QoL: FACT_G total score, PWB, SWB, EWB, FWB as dependent variables. In the presence of multimorbidity with an increase in the patient’s age FACT-G total score (B = −0.004, p = 0.482), PWB (B = −0.024, p = 0.014), SWB (B = −0.022, p = 0.051), EWB (B = −0.001, p = 0.939), FWB (B = −0.023, p = 0.013) decrease by an average of 0.1, and as the sense of solitude increases FACT-G total score (B = −0.285, p < 0.000), PWB (B = −0.435, p < 0.000), SWB(B = −0.401, p < 0.000), EWB(B = −0.494, p < 0.000), FWB(B = −0.429, p < 0.000) decrease by 0.4. Conclusions: A sense of loneliness and advancing age are associated with bad quality-of life in self-sufficient elderly patients with multimorbidity. Implications for Practice: Demonstrating that loneliness, as well as in the presence of interpersonal relations, is predictive of worse quality of life in patients with multimorbidity helps identify people most at risk for common symptoms and lays the groundwork for research concerning both diagnosis and treatment.