Look Good...Feel Better | Press

National Survey Reveals the Life-changing Impact of Cancer Among Women

Washington, D.C. (October 16, 2002) – A close look at women of all ages with all types of cancer reveals that cancer and its treatment are life-changing experiences significantly affecting women’s lives. A new national survey, A Look Good…Feel Better Survey: Treatment and Its Impact on Cancer Survivors’ Quality of Life, conducted by Harris Interactive®, shows that women with cancer experience significant changes in all aspects of life while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. The survey also shows that 83 percent of women who experience changes in appearance associated with treatment say that their overall quality of life was impacted because of such changes as hair loss and skin discoloration. More than half (55 percent) of these women fear their lives will never return to normal.

“Cancer treatment affects a woman’s day-to-day life in many important ways — including her physical, emotional and social well-being,” said Dr. Carolyn Runowicz, Vice Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York, national board member of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and a breast cancer survivor. “Often changes in physical appearance will frame a woman’s outlook on life during treatment.” In fact, the survey showed that 86 percent of women say that looking good helps them feel better, and seven in ten women feel that keeping up their appearance gives them more confidence to cope with cancer.

Look Good…Feel Better® (LGFB) is a one-of-a-kind national, cancer support program that helps women address the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment. The survey looked at the extent to which cancer treatment affects the quality of life of female cancer patients and the role support programs play in improving their quality of life.

“As both a survivor and a physician, I believe that every woman with cancer should reach out and take advantage of cancer support programs, such as Look Good…Feel Better, to maintain a good, healthy quality of life,” said Dr. Runowicz.

Additional survey results include:

Appearance-related Issues

78 percent of women interviewed say they have experienced changes in their appearance due to cancer treatment
66 percent feel that their quality of life in the area of their appearance was negatively impacted by their cancer treatment experience, and few women (10 percent) give high ratings to their quality of life during treatment in the area of appearance

Cancer and the Workplace

59 percent of women who worked during treatment say that, when at work, it was important to look as they did before treatment
38 percent of women feel that their profession was negatively impacted by their cancer treatment experience

Relationships

73 percent of women say that their relationship with a spouse or significant other was impacted by their treatment experience
Additionally, women say that their relationships with friends (80 percent), parents (69 percent), siblings
(64 percent) and children (59 percent) were also affected
Nearly half (47 percent) of women feel that people treat them differently as a result of their cancer treatment — a statistic that is especially true among the women who have experienced significant changes in their appearance; of these women, 72 percent have noticed different treatment from others

Overall Quality of Life

77 percent of women feel that physicians should recommend support programs to help enhance patients’ quality of life
Three out of four women say that dealing with cancer has caused their stress level to increase

“Shortly after I started chemotherapy, the American Cancer Society referred me to the Look Good…Feel Better program,” said Marian C. Bennett, cancer survivor, age 58. “The experience made me feel like myself again. I couldn’t wait for my family and friends to see the ‘new’ me. Being part of this program helped me improve my overall outlook on life and feel in control again.”

Through the dedication of volunteer cosmetologists nationwide, LGFB has enhanced the lives of more than 350,000 women since its inception in 1989. The program teaches women skincare and hair techniques to overcome the appearance changes associated with cancer treatment. LGFB believes that if a woman feels better about how she looks, her improved self-esteem will help her approach her disease and treatment with renewed strength and confidence.

LGFB is offered nationwide, through a partnership with the Personal Care Products Council Foundation, the American Cancer Society and the National Cosmetology Association. This program is available in Spanish through a bilingual program, Luzca Bien...Siéntase Mejor® and is also available to teens with cancer through the Look Good...Feel Better for Teens® program; www.2bMe.org.

For more information about LGFB or the Harris Interactive survey, please call 1-800-395-LOOK or visit the LGFB Web site at www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org. For more information about local cancer support programs, please call the ACS at 1-800-ACS-2345.

Harris Interactive conducted 267 online interviews among women treated for cancer in the last five years. Interviews were conducted using the Harris Interactive Chronic Illness Panel from July 30, 2002 to August 20, 2002. The margin of error for the sample of 267 is plus or minus 5.9 percentage points.

Harris Interactive (www.harrisinteractive.com) is a worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for The Harris Poll®, and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct scientifically accurate market research. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, U.S.A., Harris Interactive combines proprietary methodologies and technology with expertise in predictive, custom and strategic research. The Company conducts international research through wholly owned subsidiaries — London-based HI Europe (www.hieurope.com) and Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan — as well as through the Harris Interactive Global Network of local market- and opinion-research firms, and various U.S. offices.

Contacts
Misty Bastian, Look Good...Feel Better, 202-331-1770

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