Laura Flores-Cisneros

Validation of the QLQ-CX24 questionnaire for the assessment of quality of life in Mexican women with cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent neoplasm among women in terms of incidence and mortality. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is an important outcome in oncology. The QLQ-CX24 instrument was developed to measure HRQL in patients with cervical cancer, and its Mexican-Spanish version had not been validated. Between March 2018 and May 2019, Mexican women older than 18, with any-stage cervical cancer were invited to participate in the study. Patients answered the QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CX24 questionnaires. Current tests for psychometric and clinical validation were performed. Three hundred and thirty patients with cervical cancer were included in this study. All women invited to participate accepted and were included. The QLQ-CX24 internal consistency test demonstrated adequate convergent (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.001-0.847) and divergent validity (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.7 (minimum 0.76, maximum 0.89). Four scales of the QLQ-CX24 distinguished patients in different clinical stages. The evaluation of responsiveness demonstrated that the peripheral neuropathy scale was sensitive to change over time during chemo-radiation therapy. Six scales of the QLQ-CX24 instrument were associated with survival. The Mexican-Spanish version of the QLQ-CX24 questionnaire is reliable and valid for the assessment of HRQL in patients with cervical cancer.

Body composition and nutritional status according to clinical stage in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer

The objective was to evaluate body composition and nutritional status in women with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) before receiving oncologic treatment. Women with cervical cancer diagnoses in clinical stage IB2 to IIIB were studied. Body composition was measured with bioimpedance, sarcopenia determined according to the European Consensus, and nutritional status according to the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment. A total of 155 women with age 50.4 ± 13.7, 29 clinical stage I, 82 II, and 44 III, were studied. Patients in advanced clinical stage III, compared with patients in stage II and stage I, lower phase angle (III: 5.2 ± 0.98 vs. II: 5.7 ± 1.9 and I: 5.8 ± 0.69, p = 0.007). Impedance vector distribution was different in patients in clinical stage III vs. those in clinical stage II (p = 0.014) and I (p = 0.039). LACC patients in advanced stages had worse body composition and nutritional status before treatment.