Physical side effects and quality of life during postoperative radiotherapy for uterine XXXX . Prospective evaluation by a diary card.

@entity1 @entity137 @entity390 @entity3556 @entity5 @entity148 @entity158 @entity717
OBJECTIVE: Adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy (XRT) after radical surgery for uterine @entity5 may cause various (mainly gastrointestinal) side effects capable of affecting a @entity1 's lifestyle. This prospective study used a diary card to evaluate @entity137 and daily quality of life changes in uterine @entity5 @entity1 given postoperative pelvic radiotherapy. METHODS: The self-completed diary card listed 12 items concerning lifestyle changes and side effects. The @entity1 were stratified by age (</=65 vs >65 years). RESULTS: Twenty-five @entity1 were evaluable, and a total of 848 days were assessed (82.6% of the 1027 days of XRT). The mean number of daily stools progressively increased during treatment (P < 0.01). No statistically significant differences were observed in terms of @entity390 or @entity158 . There was a significant decrease in appetite (P < 0.01). Vaginal symptom scores did not significantly change during treatment, and no significant differences were found in terms of @entity148 , daily activities, or compliance to therapy. The subjective perception of overall well-being and the quality of life score progressively and significantly decreased over time (P < 0.01). The younger @entity1 had significantly more @entity717 , less appetite, more @entity3556 , more @entity148 , a greater reduction in daily activities and therapeutic compliance, a poorer subjective perception of overall well-being, and a lower quality of life score. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a diary card may be an adequate means of detecting the extent of treatment-related changes in the lifestyle of uterine @entity5 @entity1 receiving postoperative radiotherapy.
