Quality Of Life In Women With Gynecologic Cancer: a literature review

Abstract

Objective: To verify which instruments are most widely used to assess quality of life in patients with gynecological cancer under clinical protocols, before and after treatment, and during palliative care. Method: The study consisted of a review of PUBMED published papers that reported use of questionnaires or interviews in women with gynecological cancer. Articles were included that referred to studies on women = 45 or more years of age, and that they had been published in the previous five years, in English. An initial literature review yielded 474 eligible articles, of which 30 were selected for inclusion in the present study. Results: A wide variety of instruments were found. Questionnaires were self-completed in hospitals or clinics and returned to he researches immediately or by mail, or applied verbally by the researchers, either face-to-face or by telephone. Choice of questionnaires depended on treatment phase, disease stage, study design and primary study objective. The most frequently used questionnaires were The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General Scale (FACT-G), The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ) and The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (MOS SF-36). Conclusion: Even with the limitations identified in the articles, the authors were generally optimistic about the instruments' ability to validate their therapeutic options.