title: Comparison of Quality of Life and Sexuality between Cervical Cancer Survivors and Healthy Women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to compare quality of life (QoL) and sexual functioning between sexually active cervical cancer survivors and healthy women.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, propensity-score-matched cervical cancer survivors (n=104) and healthy women (n=104) were compared. All women had engaged in sexual activity within the previous 3 months, and cervical cancer survivors showed no evidence of disease after primary treatment. QoL and sexual functioning were assessed using three questionnaires; the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), Cervical Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-CX24), and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significantly higher scores for lymphedema were observed in the cervical cancer survivors group compared with the healthy women group (mean, 20.2 vs. 12.2; p < 0.05). Sexuality, both in terms of sexual activity, sexual enjoyment, and sexual worry (EORTC QLQ-CX24), and in terms of desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain (FSFI) were similar between the groups. When the scale of sexual/vaginal functioning in EORTC QLQ-CX24 was divided into individual questions, cervical cancer survivors reported shorter vaginal length than the control group, but without statistical significance (mean, 80.6 vs. 85.4; p=0.077).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with healthy women, sexuality was not impaired in cervical cancer survivors who showed no evidence of disease after primary treatment and engaging in sexual activity. Further prospective cohort studies are warranted to confirm this finding.
authors.affiliation: Center for Uterine Cancer, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Center for Uterine Cancer, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.|Gynecologic Cancer Branch, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.|Department of Cancer Control, Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Myong Cheol
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Se Ik
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Control, Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.|Biometric Research Branch, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Jungnam
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.affiliation: Center for Uterine Cancer, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Ock
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Center for Uterine Cancer, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.|Gynecologic Cancer Branch, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000073116:Cancer Survivors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D019529:Sexuality / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: Quality of life; Sexuality; Survivors; Uterine cervical neoplasms