Table 4.

Breast cancer patients’ functioning and symptoms scores as measured by the EORTC QLQBR23 (n = 60, 30 in each group)

	1st Chemotherapy cycle mean score (SD)		3rd Chemotherapy cycle mean score (SD)		4th Chemotherapy cycle mean score (SD)		5th Chemotherapy cycle mean score (SD)		6th Chemotherapy cycle mean score (SD)
	Intervention	Control	Intervention	Control	Intervention	Control	Intervention	Control	Intervention	Control
Functioning*
Body image	64.52	73.93	67.75	68.70	67.18	75.02	72.66	71.75	75.59	68.72
	(21.71)	(23.25)	(18.24)	(24.24)	(19.87)	(17.71)	(21.16)	(18.23)	(24.81)	(18.91)
Sexual functioning	46.82	33.83	47.37	32.16	54.90	39.09	53.83	38.54	53.85	42.55
	(31.23)	(35.49)	(30.26)	(28.93)	(28.97)	(31.96)	(27.58)	(34.04)	(28.85)	(34.17)
Sexual enjoyment	34.43	27.59	25.85	19.55	19.33	24.14	22.60	25.28	20.44	27.59
	(32.86)	(37.91)	(29.58)	(30.31)	(25.55)	(30.81)	(29.14)	(30.49)	(28.21)	(31.04)
Future perspective	31.08	48.28	37.53	48.31	37.58	48.35	50.60	50.69	53.90	56.48
	(24.30)	(36.37)	(25.54)	(35.27)	(22.49)	(29.14)	(25.80)	(29.18)	(22.42)	(25.51)
Symptom+
Arm	24.72	17.99	25.43	19.53	27.23	24.51	27.94	22.97	27.94	24.88
	(22.72)	(18.39)	(17.73)	(21.13)	(20.86)	(22.29)	(17.42)	(16.51)	(18.35)	(17.97)
Breast	15.59	12.55	10.74	14.88	10.21	18.10	13.71	16.37	15.04	20.68
	(17.58)	(18.71)	(11.82)	(19.08)	(8.26)	(18.38)	(9.76)	(12.09)	(12.61)	(16.75)
Systematic therapy side effect	38.80	33.18	39.02	37.29	39.79	39.91	42.10	41.20	38.24	48.65
	(19.99)	(16.77)	(14.73)	(16.87)	(13.99)	(19.25)	(17.99)	(19.68)	(18.83)	(18.23)
Upset by hair loss	25.28	31.03	24.51	16.67	34.48	25.28	34.84	28.96	36.77	36.77
	(30.13)	(36.42)	(24.73)	(27.46)	(31.48)	(31.70)	(24.45)	(30.31)	(28.82)	(31.31)

*Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores representing a higher level of functioning.

+Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores representing a higher level of symptoms.

**Significant different, P <0.01;