The time right after treatment is the hardest for women with endometrial cancer, but quality of life improves during recovery, according to a recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
In the study, 40 women answered a survey about their quality of life three times: before treatment, right after their treatment and during recovery.
“The post-treatment period represented the most vulnerable stage, characterized by the lowest levels of self-perception and physical and psychological wellbeing,” the study’s authors said.
About three weeks after finishing their treatment, the women in the study felt much better about themselves and had a better social life.
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The treatment type seemed to make a difference. Women who did not get chemotherapy felt better right after treatment than women who got chemotherapy. Women who had a type of surgery called laparoscopic total hysterectomy, a minimally invasive surgery that removes both the uterus and the cervix through small cuts in the abdomen, felt better about themselves during recovery than women who had a radical hysterectomy, which also removes the upper vagina and surrounding tissues. Women who did not take hormone medicine also felt better about themselves and their social life.
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The women in this study also joined a special therapy program, which used activities like drawing and collage, body exercises like breathing and relaxing muscles, and talking with a psychologist. Although the improvements in quality of life happened while the women were in this program, the study cannot prove the therapy was responsible because there was no comparison group of women who skipped the therapy.
The study also had limits beyond the missing comparison group. It was small, and some treatment groups had very few women. Because of this, the authors say the treatment findings are only early clues, and bigger, better studies are needed before drawing firm conclusions.
