Disease-free survivors of breast cancer report functioning at a high level many years after their initial treatment but those who had undergone chemotherapy reported a poorer quality of life, according to researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Researchers resurveyed 763 women who were breast-cancer free who had taken part in an earlier study that looked at the quality of life during the first 5 years after their diagnosis of breast cancer.

The follow up survey focused on their quality of life between 5 and 10 years after their initial diagnosis and included areas of general health, physical functioning, and emotional well being.

"Physical well-being and emotional well-being were excellent; the minimal changes between the baseline and follow-up assessments reflected expected age-related changes," the researchers reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. "Energy level and social functioning were unchanged. Hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal discharge, and breast sensitivity were less frequent."

While the researchers found that women who had not received either chemotherapy, tamoxifen or both together after surgery had a better qualify of life, they singled out past cheomtherapy as "a statistically significant predictor of a poorer current quality of life."

Researchers concluded that there may be effects from these treatments that do not appear until many years later.

Other Sources: Journal of the National Cancer Institute