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The effects of cancer and its treatment on reproduction and fertility are well-documented, yet knowledge of the psychosocial and behavioral implications of these outcomes for young adult survivors of cancer is limited. The present study aimed to investigate the associations among quality of life determinants on a sample of female patients of reproductive age (102 patients and 102 healthy controls), surgically treated (conisation) for pre-invasive and invasive pathology (cervix dysplasia and microinvasive carcinoma). Our goal was to obtain a structural model, based on previously validated measures, though confirmatory factor analysis. We chose three scales that have been validated on other populations and assessed their construct validity in case of the specific population we were interested in. The mean age of the patients included in the study was 31.8 years, while the mean age of the control group was 32.31 years. Of the 102 patients, 7% reported post-surgery complications, 40% used contraceptive methods, 25% wanted to become pregnant and 17 patients managed to get pregnant, 13 of which managed to deliver liveborns. The FSFI model presented in this paper can be used for assessing four domains of women's sexual functioning and women's overall sexual functioning. The quality of life model based on the EORTC OLQ-C30 allows the assessment of functioning at physical, emotional, and social levels, and defining specific symptoms scales for the target population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this pilot study was to test the efficiency of a cognitivebehavioral psychological intervention, aimed at reducing emotional distress and improving quality of life in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. This was a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest study design, with a similar/equivalent control group (N=16, experimental group = 8, control group = 8). The statistical mixed design ANOVA method was used for univariate analysis of inter- and intra-group variability. Significant differences between the two groups with similar onset scores, were obtained at the end of the intervention at DT [F (1,14) = 13.63; η2 = 0.493 p = 0.002], FACT-B [t (14) = 4.55, p <0.001), CI = [13,542; 37708] ET: distress [t (14) = 5.50, p <0.001), CI = [- 819; 2069], anxiety [t (14) = - 0.15, p <0.001), CI = [- 6.81; -2.69], depression [t (14) = - 3.08, p = 0.008), CI = [- 5.73; -1.02], need help [t (14) = - 3.50, p =0.004), CI = [- 5.45; 1.30]. The interaction between time and intervention was significant for the level of emotional distress, depression, anxiety, event impact and quality of life. In conclusion, psychological group intervention can be a useful approach to increase the quality of life of breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. The limitations of the study are related to the size of the sample, the compressed therapy sessions, and the absence of follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, there is no multivariate analysis in literature on the relationships between quality of life (QOL), female sexual functioning, symptomatology, distress and irrational beliefs among women with premalignant and malignant pathology of the cervix, namely aggravator dysplasia and microinvasive carcinoma with conservative surgery - cervix conization. This study investigated the relationships among the five variables using structural equation modelling. One hundred and two women with premalignant and malignant pathology of the cervix were included in the study and filled in a set of measures during the first year after surgery. The following instruments were used: Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life C30 (EORTC QOL-C30), the Attitudes and Beliefs Scale, Short Version (ABS-SV) and a distress visual analogue scale. Goodness-of-fit indices were obtained for the final structural model by MLR estimation : Χ²/df ratio=1.54, TLI = 0.87, CFI = 0.88, RMSEA = 0.07 (90% CI: 0.065- 0.084) SRMR = 0.08 and bootstrapping: Χ²/df ratio = 1.30, TLI = 0.89, CFI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.05 (90% CI : 0.043-0.064 ), SRMR = 0.086. No direct effect of sexual functioning and irrational beliefs on quality of life was found, but there is a tendency of dependence between distress and QOL. There is a positive correlation between irrational beliefs and symptomatology (β=0.40), so that symptoms are more serious, in persons who have more irrational beliefs. Also, there is a correlation between distress and symptomatology (β=0.37), and distress and irrational beliefs (ß=0.41). The model explained 98% of the total variance of QOL. In conclusion, the structural model provides a valid assessment model of QOL, a ranking of levels of QOL by regression weights and the interrelationships between the specified constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]