The Effect of Treatment on Quality of Life, Symptoms, and Social Life in Gynecologic Cancer Patients

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the effect of treatment on quality of life, symptoms, and social life in patients with gynecologic cancer. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews to evaluate the individual and disease characteristics of the patients. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale was used to determine the severity of the side effects. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General 4 was used to evaluate the quality of life. The total post-treatment quality of life scores of the patients were lower than their total pre-treatment scores. Patients who received chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy had a lower quality of life than those who received radiotherapy, and they were less involved in social activities. Half of the individuals participated in social activities in the pre-treatment period, but this rate decreased to 16.4% after the treatment started. In this study, the quality-of-life scores of the patients who received gynecologic cancer treatment decreased after treatment and the patients experienced many symptoms at an increasingly severe level.

Keywords: gynecologic cancer; quality of life; social life; symptoms.