An exploration into the quality of life of women treated for cervical cancer.
Caroline Sabulei, Johanna E Maree
PMID 31170799WHAT IT FOUND
Women treated for cervical cancer reported better global health at 12 months, but social functioning was low, insomnia and urinary frequency were the most troublesome symptoms, and swelling of feet was higher in the 12-month group.
Nurses should assess these problems during treatment and follow-up.
Key findings
01Global health status was significantly higher in the 12-month group than in the during-treatment and 6-month groups.
02Role functioning had the highest overall mean score (82.0), social functioning had the lowest (60.5), and no functioning domain differed significantly across the three groups.
03Insomnia was the highest-rated general symptom (mean 33.6), urinary frequency was the highest-rated cervical cancer-specific symptom (mean 44.9), and swelling of the feet differed significantly across groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Because different women were asked at different time points, the study compares groups at treatment, 6 months and 12 months; it does not track how the same person changed over time. The sample was a convenience sample from one public academic hospital, so the findings may not apply to other settings or populations. Participants could have given socially acceptable answers rather than fully truthful ones. The sexual functioning comparison included a much smaller group during treatment than later, so that part is unstable.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treatment improves quality of life overall. Global health status was higher in the 12-month group, but social functioning was low and did not differ significantly across groups, while swelling of feet and sexual or vaginal functioning were worse in later groups.