Purpose: To evaluate the global health status of long-term cervical cancer survivors (LCCS) who survived for more than 4 years after curative radiation treatment (RT).
Patients and methods: Medical records of 562 women treated with RT in our institution between 2003 and 2010 were reviewed. Excluding 259 women who died of disease or were lost to follow-up, disease status and late morbidities were evaluated in 303 LCCS. Quality of life (QoL) was analyzed in 168 LCCS using a questionnaire from the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer, and the results were compared with an age-matched healthy Korean female population.
Results: Median follow-up was 6.8 years (range 4.1-12.5 years). There were 14 deaths (7 cancer specific) and 14 recurrences (5 local recurrences and 9 distant metastases). The median time to recurrence was 6.0 years (range 4.1-8.2 years). Grade ≥2 late toxicities were frequently observed in the bladder (19%) and small/large intestine (15%). Multivariate analysis revealed a higher rate of late toxicity in patients aged ≥51 years at diagnosis (small/large intestine: hazard ratio, HR, 2.5 [1.2-5.5]; bladder: HR 2.4 [1.3-4.5]; and bone: HR 4.3 [1.2-15.8]) than patients aged <51 years. Compared to the general population, LCCS exhibited a significantly higher rate of body image concerns, sexual dysfunction, lymphedema, and peripheral neuropathy.
Conclusion: New recurrences occurred in 5% of LCCS and grade ≥2 treatment-related morbidities were present in 33%. A significant proportion of LCCS also showed decreased cervical-cancer-specific QoL. These results suggest the need for long-term surveillance and follow-up care for LCCS.
Keywords: Gynecology; Quality of life; Side effects; Survival; Toxicity.