Chemotherapy for cervical cancer patients: Is it a “nightmare”?

Chemotherapy in cervical cancer is the most widespread type of therapy because it is used as a support for other types of therapy as well. Given the widespread use of chemotherapy in cervical cancer patients, evaluation of the success of chemotherapy in cervical cancer management is very important. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation of the results of chemotherapy on cervical cancer was carried out from the aspect of the clinical picture and humanistic outcome based on cancer stage. The test subjects were cervical cancer patients at a government hospital in the city of Bandung, Indonesia who went through three cycles of chemotherapy and met the inclusion criteria. Evaluation of the clinical features includes observation of relief of symptoms of vaginal discharge, bleeding, vaginal discharge, vaginal irritation, vulvar mucosal irritation and pain and general condition. Humanistic outcome was evaluated using the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. The data obtained on the conditions before and after chemotherapy were statistically evaluated using the t-test (p<0.05). Administration of chemotherapy has been shown to have an impact on improving the clinical picture and humanistic outcome for all stages. This proves that patients with a lower stage tend to acquire better improvements. The side effects of chemotherapy that tend to exacerbate some aspects of humanistic outcomes are overcome by pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and by providing health care services that pay attention to the psychological aspects of the patient. © School of Engineering, Taylor’s University