Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study sample at three time points
| Â | Baseline assessment (n = 167) | 3 months follow-up (n = 150) | 18 months follow-up (n = 99) | P* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Â | No (%) | No (%) | No (%) | Â |
Age groups (years) | Â | Â | Â | 0.03 |
24–34 | 33 (19.8) | 29 (19.3) | 18 (18.2) |  |
35–44 | 46 (27.5) | 40 (26.7) | 29 (29.3) |  |
45–54 | 39 (23.4) | 38 (25.3) | 30 (30.2) |  |
55–64 | 28 (16.8) | 26 (17.3) | 15 (15.2) |  |
64 > | 21 (12.5) | 17 (11.4) | 7 (7.1) | Â |
Mean (SD) | 47.2 (13.5) | 47.4 (13.3) | 46.4 (12.5) | Â |
Range | 24–81 | 24–81 | 24–81 |  |
Educational level | Â | Â | Â | 0.05 |
Illiterate | 38 (22.8) | 34 (22.7) | 17 (17.2) | Â |
Primary | 78 (46.7) | 71 (47.3) | 45 (45.5) | Â |
Secondary | 33 (19.8) | 29 (19.3) | 25 (25.2) | Â |
College/university | 18 (10.7) | 16 (10.7) | 12 (12.1) | Â |
Marital status | Â | Â | Â | 0.4 |
Single | 15 (9.0) | 13 (8.7) | 11 (11.1) | Â |
Married | 116 (69.4) | 105 (70.0) | 67 (67.7) | Â |
Widowed | 36 (21.6) | 32 (21.3) | 21 (21.2) | Â |
Disease stage | Â | Â | Â | 0.4 |
Local | 29 (17.4) | 25 (16.7) | 18 (18.2) | Â |
Loco-regional | 76 (45.5) | 71 (47.3) | 48 (48.5) | Â |
Metastasis | 62 (37.1) | 54 (36.0) | 33 (33.3) | Â |
Initial management | Â | Â | Â | 0.09 |
Mastectomy | 138 (82.6) | 125 (83.3) | 84 (84.8) | Â |
Conservative surgery | 15 (9.0) | 14 (9.3) | 11 (11.1) | Â |
Chemotherapy | 11 (6.6) | 10 (6.7) | 4 (4.1) | Â |
Best supportive care | 3 (1.8) | 1 (0.7) | 0 (0.0) | Â |