title: Impact of cervical cancer on quality of life: beyond the short term (Results from a single institution): Quality of life in long-term cervical cancer survivors: results from a single institution.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most widespread gynecological malignancies in women worldwide. Treatment strategies and screening modalities have largely evolved these past years resulting in an improvement of survival. However, treatment modalities are associated with long term side effects that significantly impacts quality of life (QOL) in cervical cancer survivors. The aim of this study is to evaluate QOL (General and sexual QOL) in cervical cancer survivors up to 10 years after the diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional descriptive study design, 110 cervical cancer survivors (CCS) and 80 healthy controls completed questionnaires assessing QOL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants were Arabic White, sexually active. The mean age at diagnosis was 34 years and was 43 years at the time of the interview. In our series long term CCS have generally a good global QOL comparable with healthy controls. However, issues concerning emotional functioning were over expressed by CCS. As to the sexual impact of cervical cancer; CCS experienced less sexual functioning and enjoyment and less satisfaction with their body image when compared to healthy controls. In a multivariate analysis, spiritual well-being and social support were the predictor factors that statistically affected QOL among the studied cohort, it accounted for 81 % of the variance in QOL scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A better understanding of the complexity of the relationship between QOL and cervical cancer sequelae in one hand and socio-demographic factors in the other hand is necessary to improve QOL among cervical cancer survivors. More efforts should make to inform disease free patients about expected side effects and symptoms to face the physical changes that would affect their QOL and sexual activity.
authors.affiliation: National cancer Institute, Mohamed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.affiliation: National cancer Institute, Mohamed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bellefqih
authors.affiliation: National cancer Institute, Mohamed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sahli
authors.affiliation: National cancer Institute, Mohamed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Afif
authors.affiliation: National cancer Institute, Mohamed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elkacemi
authors.affiliation: National cancer Institute, Mohamed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elmajjaoui
authors.affiliation: National cancer Institute, Mohamed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kebdani
authors.affiliation: National cancer Institute, Mohamed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Benjaafar
keywords: Long term cervical cancer survival; Population based study; QLQ-C30; QLQ-CX24; Quality of life; Sexual functioning