Short-term side effects of chemoradiation and quality of life among women receiving chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer at Uganda Cancer Institute

Abstract

Background: This study identified the types and prevalence of short-term side effects of chemoradiation and how they affect the quality of life of patients with cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths among women in Uganda and 80% of diagnoses are made in advanced stages. Primary treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer is chemoradiation. This has been associated with short and long-term side effects. Short-term side effects are usually reversible, occur within the first three months of treatment. The quality of life of patients with cervical cancer receiving chemoradiation has been noted to be negatively affected by side effects of chemoradiation. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the type and prevalence of short-term side effects of chemoradiation treatment as well as their effect on the quality of life in women undergoing chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer at Uganda Cancer Institute. Methodology: The study was a cross-sectional study and 107 women with locally advanced cervical cancer receiving chemoradiotherapy at Uganda Cancer Institute were enrolled. The short-term side effects of chemoradiation were measured using interviewer administered structured questionnaires and QOL was measured using the WHOQOL BREF questionnaire. The data was collected between December 2024 and March 2025. Data analysis was done using R software and Spearman’s rank correlation was used to assess the relationship between different QOL domains. Results: All patients experienced at least one short-term side effect of chemoradiation. Gastrointestinal side effects and fatigue were the most common. 95.3% reported fatigue, 86.9% diarrhea, 85% nausea and 76.6% had abdominal pain. Quality of life was adversely affected by vomiting (p=0.036) due to chemoradiation, being unmarried (p=0.001), advanced stages (III/IV) of cervical cancer(p=0.026), and incomplete courses of chemoradiation (p=0.010). Attaining education levels of secondary and above improved perception of QOL (p=0.014).Conclusions: Short-term side effects are prevalent in patients receiving chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cancer of the cervix. The quality of life of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer is negatively affected by the short-term side effects of chemoradiotherapy.