Health-Related Quality of Life and Associated Factors in Chinese Women With Cervical Cancer: A 9-Month Follow-up.

BACKGROUND:: There is a lack of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) studies in Chinese women with cervical cancer. OBJECTIVE:: The objectives of this study were to investigate the HRQOL trajectory in women with cervical cancer in Mainland China in the 9 months following diagnosis and to identify factors that influence HRQOL. METHODS:: Initially, 187 patients with cervical cancer were included in the study, but at each follow-up, the number declined to 128, 112, and 106, respectively. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervix (FACT-Cx) was used to collect data sequentially at the time of diagnosis (T1) and at 3 (T2), 6 (T3), and 9 months after diagnosis (T4). Medical characteristics, sense of coherence, and social support were included as factors likely to contribute to HRQOL. RESULTS:: Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervix ranged in mean from 120.30 at T1 to 126.22 at T4 (P = .001), whereas social/family well-being ranged from 23.56 at T1 to 20.23 at T4 (P = .025). In the stepwise regression with FACT-Cx as the independent variable, sense of coherence entered the equation with the highest standardized coefficients (0.554) at T1 and stage II at T2 and T3 (-0.53 and -0.26, respectively). Satisfaction with family relationships had the second highest standardized coefficient (-0.21) at T3. CONCLUSIONS:: Overall HRQOL improved, although social/family well-being deteriorated. Sense of coherence contributed to HRQOL initially, whereas disease stage and family support did so later on. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:: The study highlights the importance of identifying those with a low sense of coherence at the time of diagnosis. Family members should be included in caring process as a vital source of social support.