Comparative Study in Quality of Life between Thai Endometrial Cancer Survivors and Healthy Women in Thammasat University Hospital

Abstract

Endometrial cancer is a gynecologic malignancy that occurs in women most commonly in their sixth and seventh decade. Most cases had underlying diseases i.e., diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HT) and dyslipidemia (DLP). It is a hormone dependent cancer with either unopposed estrogen condition or exogenous stimulation from tamoxifen (Dowdy et al., 2019).Endometrial cancer is the 6 th most commonly occurring cancer in women (Bray et al., 2018). In Thailand, endometrial cancer is the 9th most common form of female cancer with age standardized incidence rate of 4.3/100,000 women per year (Wilailak et al., 2016). AbstractBackground: This study aimed to survey quality of life (QoL) in endometrial cancer survivors between surgery with adjuvant therapy (radiation with or without chemotherapy) and surgery alone in Thammasat University Hospital, Thailand. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Gynecologic Oncology clinic, Thammasat University hospital, Thailand between March 2011 and May 2019. Participants were endometrial cancer cases who underwent surgical staging with or without adjuvant treatment (study) and healthy women who came to gynecologic department for annual cervical screening (control). Assessment of QoL was investigated via the structural questionnaire designed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 (Thai version). Results: During the period of the study, 94 participants who were diagnosed with endometrial cancer and underwent surgical staging were enrolled. There were 51, 43 and 51 cases in group A (surgery with adjuvant therapy), group B (surgery only) and group C (control), respectively. Control cases were participants who had comparable demographic characteristics and underwent gynecological checkup during the period of study. In part of physical functioning, group B had statistically better scores than group A. Participant in group B and C reported significantly better QoL in part of social functioning than group A. Symptom severity; appetite loss and constipation in group B was statistically less than in group A. Constipation problems in group A and C were comparable. Participants in group C had worse global health status than group A/B. Conclusion: Adjuvant treatment with either radiation or chemotherapy had negative impacts on QoL in endometrial cancer survivors. It impacted physical health, social function, appetite loss, and constipation. All endometrial cancer survivors had global health scores better than healthy peers. Thoroughly counseling to endometrial cancer survivors remains an important tool for increasing awareness of treatment complications and lowering psychological emotional stress.

Evaluating the Prognostic Factors and Survival Rates of Endometrial Cancer Patients in a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Northeast Thailand

“…In Thailand, EC is the 9th most common form of female cancer, with a standardized incidence rate of 4.3 per 100,000 women per year [ 6 ], and it is the third most common female genital cancer [ 7 ]. The current standard of treatment for EC is surgery.…”

“…Previous studies on EC survival in Thailand have mostly concentrated on variables such as age [ 12 ], stage [ 13 ], histopathology [ 14 ], adjuvant treatment [ 15 ], and medical morbidities [ 16 ]. Although previous research has explored various factors influencing the survival of patients with EC there has been a lack of research into the specific effects of health insurance schemes on the survival of EC patients [ 6 , 17 , 18 ]. Therefore, the primary objectives of our study were to investigate and analyze the survival rates and median survival time of EC patients, with a particular focus on understanding the potential relationship between health insurance schemes and patient outcomes at Srinagarind Hospital, the largest public hospital in northeastern Thailand and an important tertiary referral facility affiliated with Khon Kaen University’s Faculty of Medicine.…”

The most unmet needs on Gynecological and Breast Cancer Survivors, A Systematic Review

“…La complejidad de la enfermedad y el tratamiento del cáncer forma una variedad de necesidades para las sobrevivientes de cáncer ginecológico y cáncer de mama, incluidas las necesidades biológicas (físicas), psicológicas, sociales, culturales y espirituales durante y después del tratamiento (12,13) . Si estas necesidades no se satisfacen, se conoce como "necesidades insatisfechas", lo que afectará la calidad de vida del sobreviviente (14,15) . Cuantas más necesidades no satisfechas, peor será la calidad de vida de las sobrevivientes de cáncer ginecológico (6,(16)(17)(18) .…”

The Effects of Coping Strategies Between Uncertainty and Quality of Life of Korean Women With Gynecological Cancer

“…Such women patients continue to undergo combined treatments and often experience a low quality of life (QoL) 4,5. They experience various symptoms from disease factors and treatment side effects such as pain, nausea/vomiting, appetite loss, and constipation 6. Therefore, many previous studies have focused on improving the QoL of women with gynecological cancer.…”