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Quality of Life and Sexual Functioning in Cervical Cancer Survivors

From the Departments of Gynecologic Oncology, Behavioral Science, Biostatistics and Applied Mathematics, Radiation Oncology, and Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.

Address reprint requests to Michael Frumovitz, MD, MPII, Department of Gynecologic Oncology, 1155 Herman Pressler, CPB6.3244, Unit 1362, Houston, TX 77030; e-mail: mfrumovitz{at}mdanderson.org

PURPOSE: To compare quality of life and sexual functioning in cervical cancer survivors treated with either radical hysterectomy and lymph node dissection or radiotherapy.

METHODS: Women were interviewed at least 5 years after initial treatment for cervical cancer. Eligible women had squamous cell tumors smaller than 6 cm at diagnosis, were currently disease-free, and had either undergone surgery or radiotherapy, but not both. The two treatment groups were then compared using univariate analysis and multivariate linear regression with a control group of age- and race-matched women with no history of cancer.

RESULTS: One hundred fourteen patients (37 surgery, 37 radiotherapy, 40 controls) were included for analysis. When compared with surgery patients and controls using univariate analysis, radiation patients had significantly poorer scores on standardized questionnaires measuring health-related quality of life (physical and mental health), psychosocial distress and sexual functioning. The disparity in sexual function remained significant in a multivariate analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses did not show significant differences between radical hysterectomy patients and controls on any of the outcome measures.

CONCLUSION: Cervical cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy had worse sexual functioning than did those treated with radical hysterectomy and lymph node dissection. In contrast, these data suggest that cervical cancer survivors treated with surgery alone can expect overall quality of life and sexual function not unlike that of peers without a history of cancer.

Supported by the Deferred Tuition Fund grant from The University of Texas at Houston School of Public Health.

Presented at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, San Diego, CA, February 7-11, 2004.

Authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.

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