title: Quality of life and sexual functioning in cervical cancer survivors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecologic Oncology, 1155 Herman Pressler, CPB6.3244, Unit 1362, Houston, TX 77030, USA. mfrumovitz@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frumovitz
authors.forename: Charlotte C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Leslie R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Schover
authors.forename: Mark F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Munsell
authors.forename: Anuja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jhingran
authors.forename: J Taylor
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Wharton
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eifel
authors.forename: Therese B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Bevers
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Levenback
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gershenson
authors.forename: Diane C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Bodurka
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000523:psychology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D018196:Carcinoma, Adenosquamous / Q000523:psychology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000523:psychology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery