Impact of public vs. private insurance coverage on quality of life of women with early-stage estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life (QOL) data for the Brazilian population with breast cancer are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate QOL in Brazilian women with early-stage breast cancer treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) and to explore its relationship with patients' clinical and social characteristics and type of healthcare insurance. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study among women with early-stage estrogen receptor-positive (ER +) invasive carcinoma of the breast in Brazil. Eligible patients who had received locoregional care and had undergone adjuvant ET for more than 6 months were contacted in person during clinic visits. The EORTC QLQ-C30-V3 and QLQ-BR23 scales were used as questionnaires to assess the QOL of patients. RESULTS: From June 2021 to March 2024, 774 women with ER + early-stage breast cancer from 14 Brazilian institutions were contacted. A total of 347 women (44.8%) were treated at private institutions. The mean age was 56.5 years (SD 11.9). The median duration of ET use was 3.2 years (SD, 2.1). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that treatment at a public institution was a significant predictor of higher nausea and vomiting scores (p = 0.042), pain (p = 0.0008), financial difficulty (p < 0.0001), arm symptoms (p < 0.0001), and breast symptoms (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In this cohort, patients treated at public institutions had lower QOL. Younger age (< 60 years), presence of comorbidities, and ovarian suppression associated with ET were key predictors of poor QOL. These findings provide insights for guiding the development of tailored interventions for the Brazilian population.