Abstract
Objective: To assess functional independence, quality of life and frequency of depressive symptoms in women surviving breast cancer. Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. 23 women who underwent mastectomy or quadrantectomy with or without axillary approach participated. The instruments used were a sociodemographic questionnaire, the WHOQOL-bref, DASH and HADS, which assessed, respectively, quality of life, upper limb functionality and depressive symptoms. Results: Self-assessment and general health perception had a positive evaluation, with the physical domain being the most impaired and the psychological domain being the best evaluated by WHOQOL-bref. The function of the upper limb showed a high percentage of disability. As for the depressive symptoms, 47.83% of the participants presented and 52.17% did not present these symptoms. Conclusion: Functional disability and depressive symptoms were very common in women who survived breast cancer, associated with poorer quality of life. The importance of early detection of the impairments that treatments can trigger is highlighted, in order to prevent or treat them, increasing the quality of life of these women.