[Integrated gynecology: new medical treatments due to psychosomatic methods of evaluation].
OBJECTIVE
Women with gynecologic cancer are confronted with difficult decisions regarding the therapeutic options. The objective of the present paper is to demonstrate the relationship between surgical procedures and the outcome on quality of life and to discuss the implications for patient management.


METHODS
Gynecologic patients were assessed in a prospective study with preoperative semistructured interviews and objective assessments (T1), interviews were repeated 4 and 12 months postoperatively (T2, T3).


RESULTS
Women planned for hysterectomy with severe complaints indicate a better postoperative quality of life. Cancer patients, however, tend to feel more distressed about the surgical procedure if they could not be treated organ preserving or by reconstructive techniques. Medical interaction is dependent on the patient's anxiety level and mostly important for their quality of life before and after surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychosomatic research is not only necessary to understand the patient's needs before and after surgery but may also serve as an evaluation method of therapeutical options. By this methods we are able to anticipate the medical and psychological consequences of the therapeutic decisions. Future studies will systematically explore the alternating effect of surgical procedures on the patient's well-being.
Hawighorst-Knapstein
S
S
Universitätsfrauenklinik Mainz.
Schönefuss
G
G
König
Y
Y
Trautmann
K
K
Knapstein
P G
PG
D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*; D006176:Gynecology; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011611:Psychosomatic Medicine; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis