PhD conferral Ms drs. Melissa Kool

Keywords: breast cancer, quality of life, PROMs

“Quality of Life in breast cancer survivors, from measuring to improving”

Breast cancer is being identified at an earlier stage thanks to the introduction of population screening. This, combined with better treatment options, has improved the survival rates and increased the focus on quality of life among breast cancer survivors. This dissertation asserts that quality of life can only be adequately measured if specific symptoms are measured alongside general quality of life. Extended hormone therapy improves quality of life, as does establishing a connection between lymph vessels and blood vessels to reduce fluid retention in the arm. While breast reconstruction also improves quality of life, the time of the reconstruction does not play a role.