This study was carried out to investigate dietary habit and cancer related information use in postoperative breast cancer patient.

Study subjects were breast cancer patients who took breast cancer operation at Department of Surgery, Hanyang University Hospital and also they again visited outpatient clinic for regular examination within 6 months after operation. Subjects were interviewed individually by dietitian at a quiet room in outpatient clinic. General characteristics, dietary habit after operation and cancer related information use were asked.

Total study subjects were 52, of those, premenopausal women were 30 (57.6%), and postmenopausal women were 22 (42.2%). In items of dietary habit, it showed that most subjects have regularity of meal time (67.3% of total subjects) and speed of meal was 20~30 min (71.2% of total subjects). In food frequency after operation, most patients answered 3~4 times per week in fruits and vegetable consumption (61.5%), and once-twice per week in meat consumption (40.4%). In analysis about cancer related information use, current use of cancer information type were books (63.5%), paper or magazine (23.1%), and internet (11.5%). Desired information type were books (48.1%), cancer program (26.9%), paper (15.5%), and seminar (9.5%).

In this study, it showed that most breast cancer patients changed their dietary habit after operation, and especially it appeared that premenopausal women tend to have better dietary habit. Most patients wanted specific cancer related information source as type of books and program. We believe that these findings from this study be able to provide the basic data to develop systematic cancer education program.