A new study found that “women with early-stage cervical cancer who received radiation plus chemotherapy reported a greater short-term decline in quality of life compared to those who received radiation alone.”
Patients receiving both treatments “scored 5.1 points lower [on the FACT-Cx TOI score] than those receiving radiation alone [at three weeks], and by seven weeks the gap widened to 6.3 points.” By nine months there were “no meaningful differences in quality of life.”
This trial was the “first U.S.-based study in early-stage cervical cancer to prospectively collect patient-reported outcomes,” evaluating whether adding chemotherapy to radiation after surgery “improved recurrence-free survival, while also tracking how treatment impacted patients’ experiences with side effects including gastrointestinal issues, neuropathy, and blood-related toxicities.”
The trial enrolled “316 women with stage I/IIA intermediate-risk cervical cancer who had undergone radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either radiation alone (152) or radiation plus chemotherapy (147). Patients completed questionnaires on quality of life, symptoms, and side effects before treatment and again at three, seven, and 36 weeks after starting therapy.” Researchers say the next step will be to “design clinical trials testing interventions to address side effects during radiation with or without chemotherapy, with the goal of improving quality of life for women undergoing treatment.”
