title: Health-Related Quality of Life and Sociodemographic Characteristics as Prognostic Indicators of Long-term Survival in Disease-Free Cervical Cancer Survivors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) issues of cancer patients are considered an important clinical outcome. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of HRQOL on long-term survival outcomes in disease-free cervical cancer survivors (CCSs).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample consisted of 860 disease-free CCSs from 6 Korean cancer hospitals recruited for HRQOL survey during 2005 (median time from diagnosis, 5.9 years). Health-related quality-of-life measures included the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and its Cervical Cancer Module (CX24). Survival data were retrieved from the Korean Statistical Office after 6 years from the survey. Health-related quality-of-life domains along with sociodemographic and clinicopathologic variables were analyzed as prognostic factors for survival from the date of survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the median follow-up period of 6.3 years after the survey, 30 (3.5%) patients died from all causes. Age, time since diagnosis, and physical activity were independent prognostic factors, which constituted the baseline model along with cancer stage. When HRQOL domains were tested separately against the baseline model, functional scales (physical, role, social, and emotional functioning), global health status, symptom scales (pain and appetite loss), and cervical cancer module items (body image, sexual inactivity, and sexual worry) were significantly associated with survival (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that, in addition to well-known prognostic factors, including age, time since diagnosis, and physical activity, HRQOL scores obtained from disease-free CCSs are associated with survival.
authors.affiliation: *Biomedical Science Project, Brain Korea 21 Program for Leading Universities & Students, Seoul National University, Seoul; †Department of Biomedical Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine; ‡Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul; §Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine; and ∥Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gangnam CHA Hospital, CHA University College of Medicine, Seoul; ¶Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu; #Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul; and **Center for Uterine Cancer, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Gyeonggi, Korea.
authors.forename: Mi-Kyung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin Ah
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: Young Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Duk-Soo
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Joo Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Chong Taik
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Chi-Heum
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jong-Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sang Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*