This is a descriptive cross-sectional study on the quality of life of breast cancer patients in Zamboanga City. This is composed of two phases. The first phase, a survey, used the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaires (C30 and BR23) and a 10-item Spirituality, Religiousness and Personal Beliefs questionnaire adapted from the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire. Fifty respondents were enrolled through purposive and snowballing sampling. The second phase, an in-depth interview was done with ten (10) respondents and four (4) case summaries were elicited to describe their life experiences. The results showed that the overall health and quality of life is moderate at 69 score. Fatigue (34.66) and pain (33.33) were the common complaints. However, financial difficulties (53.33) encountered was the biggest burden for the whole family. The impact of breast cancer treatment was evident by the scores on body image (66.16) and hair loss (80.95). For the spirituality domain, over-all score was 17.29 signifying a high level of spirituality. The case summaries were categorized into several themes: 1.) Initial reaction to the diagnosis ofbreast cancer; 2.) Impact of the disease, with sub-themes of “physical” and “psychosocial;” 3.)Consequences of the disease and treatment, with two sub-themes, “limitations” and “changes in family lifestyle;” 4.)Coping strategies and 5.) Advise to people with breast cancer. In conclusion, the quality of life of breast cancer patients in Zamboanga City is moderate because inspite of their disease condition and the possibility of premature death, they were able to find the strength within to face life with hope and optimism.

Keyword: Breast cancer patients