Quality of Life Associated with Radiotherapy Treatment in Women Affected by Cervical Cancer: Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: Cervical cancer (CC) is among the five most common cancers in women. Initially, the treatment indicated is surgery. When the patient has risk factors associated with local recurrence, adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy is performed. Investigating the impact of treatment on the quality of life (QoL) of women with CC can help planning actions to reduce or prevent harm. Objective: Compile the repercussions and factors that influence the QoL of women with CC undergoing radiotherapy. Method: A integrative review of the literature was conducted in the MEDLINE (PubMed), LILACS and SciELO databases. The inclusion criteria were articles from the last five years, open access, written in Portuguese, English or Spanish, addressing the theme defined totally or partially. Results: 17 articles were selected, among which prospective longitudinal studies (n=9) predominated, followed by cross-sectional studies (n=5) and retrospective longitudinal studies (n=3). In addition, 15 different questionnaires were used, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ-C30) was more frequent, integrating 8 studies. Conclusion: The QoL of women submitted to radiotherapy was influenced by socioeconomic and educational factors, marital relationships, and the modality of radiotherapy. Although the treatment methods have influenced individual factors, such as physical and emotional symptoms, they had no significant relationship with general QoL. Studies should be conducted to assess the long-term effects of radiotherapy.