Article Text
Abstract
Introduction/Background Quality of life is a critical aspect of patient care, especially for women who have undergone treatment for gynecological cancers. Cancer survivorship has improved with advancements in diagnosis and treatment, making quality of life an even more crucial consideration. This study delves into the quality of life and specific issues faced by women after treatment for gynecological cancers.
Methodology The study surveyed 162 women who had completed treatment at least three months but no longer than five years ago. The participants completed validated questionnaires, including the EORTC QLQ-C30 and cancer-specific questionnaires OV28, CX24, and EN24.
Results The average age of the women was 53.32±11.13 years, and the most common cancers were endometrial and ovarian cancers.
The study found that the overall average quality of life score was 77.93±16.65, indicating good quality of life scores for the participants. However, women with cervical and endometrial cancers had lower quality of life scores compared to those with ovarian cancer. In addition, women with cervical cancer also reported lower quality of life scores than those with endometrial cancer. The study also found that physical, role, emotional, and cognitive functioning scores were significantly different among the three types of cancers.
The most common symptoms reported by the participants were fatigue and insomnia. Sexual functioning was the main concern among the women in the study. Patients with endometrial cancer reported musculoskeletal pain and lymphedema as primary concerns, while attitude towards treatment was reported as the main issue by patients with ovarian cancer.
Conclusion The study highlights the importance of considering quality of life in cancer survivorship care and shows that women with gynecological cancers face unique challenges. Sexual functioning and lymphedema were significant concerns among the participants and warrant further attention and support in survivorship care.
Disclosures The authors do not have any disclosures