You are here

Article Text

Article menu
Download PDFPDF
Quality of Life
Quality of Life and Mental Health in Brazilian Women Treated for Invasive Carcinoma of the Cervix
  1. Gabriela A. Caixeta, MSc*,
  2. Emma E. C. Castro, PhD†,
  3. Agnaldo L. Silva-Filho, MD, PhD*,
  4. Fernando M. Reis, MD, PhD*,
  5. José R. Cunha-Melo, MD, PhD‡ and
  6. Sérgio A. Triginelli, MD, PhD*
  1. *Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
  2. †Psychology and Surgery, and
  3. ‡Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
  1. Address correspondence and reprint requests to José R. Cunha-Melo, MD, PhD, Department of Surgery, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena 190, 30130-100 Belo Horizonte, Brazil. E-mail: jrcmelo{at}medicina.ufmg.br.

Abstract

Objective The objective of this study was to compare the quality of life (QOL) and mental health (MH) of women surviving at least 2 years after treatment for invasive carcinoma of the cervix by radical hysterectomy (RH), chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, or by surgery followed by adjuvant therapy (RH + chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy). The QOL/MH of a control group of women with no history of malignancy was also assessed for comparison with the treated groups.

Methods The levels of QOL and MH were assessed in 114 Brazilian women (57 patients with an average of 4 years since treatment completion and 57 control subjects). The 36-item Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, the Life Events Inventory, and a general survey for the assessment of sociodemographic data were applied to each participant of the study.

Results No differences were noted among the 3 treatment groups or between these and the control group concerning the levels of QOL (either physical or MH aspects), anxiety, general health, or life events. However, lower levels of anxiety were detected in cancer survivors when compared with the control group (P = 0.035).

Conclusions After at least 2 years, the QOL and the MH of Brazilian women treated for invasive carcinoma of the cervix were similar to those of women without malignancy and were not affected by the modality of treatment.

  • Invasive carcinoma of the cervix
  • Hysterectomy
  • Radiotherapy
  • Anxiety control
  • Quality of life

https://doi.org/10.1097/IGC.0000000000000106

Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

    Footnotes

    • Research support was provided by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais.

    • The authors declare no conflicts of interest.