Abstract

CASTILLO-AVILA, Irma Yolanda et al. Quality of life in women with cervical cancer, Cartagena (Colombia), 2012. Rev Colomb Obstet Ginecol [online]. 2015, vol.66, n.1, pp.22-31. ISSN 0034-7434.  https://doi.org/10.18597/rcog.4.

Objective: To determine quality of life in women diagnosed with cervical cancer in Cartagena, Colombia. Materials and methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional study of women with a diagnosis of cervical cancer who were receiving treatment and who came to a public, level I healthcare institution in the city of Cartagena; women suffering with comorbidities or critically ill were excluded. The sample included 106 women, and sampling was done on the basis convenience. Two questionnaires of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) were used: QLQ-C30 for the measurement of quality of life in cancer patients, and QOL-CX24 as a specific supplementary tool to measure quality of life in patients with cervical cancer. The variables measured were age, place of origin, marital status, number of children, occupation, income bracket, schooling, and quality of life according to the two questionnaires. A descriptive analysis was performed. Results: Overall, 106 women were included with a mean age of 41.3 years (SD ± 12.5 years). All women were of income brackets 1 to 3, and the greatest impact of the disease was found in income bracket 1, as shown in the QLQ-30. The most affected domains in quality of life were those related to social activites (51.9%), physical and functional status, and interference of treatment with family life (48.1%), while financial issues related to the disease were reported by 47.2%. In terms of psychological function, 87.7% of the women have been worried by their disease. In the sexual domain under the specific QOL-CX-24 questionnaire, it was found that 70.7% have issues with vaginal discomfort and irritation, interfering with their sexual performance. Conclusion: Cervical cancer has a significant impact on the quality of life of the women who suffer from this disease.

Keywords : Quality of life; quality of life indicators; cervical cancer; women's health.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )