Informational needs and the quality of life of patients in their first year after metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.

Background: Little is known about the informational needs and quality of life (QOL) of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) within the first year of their diagnosis.

Objectives: To describe the informational needs and QOL of patients with MBC within the first year of diagnosis, and to identify sociodemographic and medical factors that may be associated with informational needs and QOL.

Methods: 52 patients (50 women, 2 men) enrolled within a year of diagnosis of MBC completed a cross-sectional, self-administered paper survey that included patient demographics, the Toronto Informational Needs Questionnaire-Breast Cancer (TINQ), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36).