Quality of life in endometrial cancer survivors by grade of disease

Abstract

Abstract Background Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy in developed countries, with overall incidence increasing, particularly high‐grade disease. There is sparse information regarding quality of life (QOL) in EC survivors with a focus on grade of disease. Methods A total of 259 women with EC diagnosed between 2016 and 2020 were identified via the Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System and consented to enroll in the Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors cohort study (if African American, n = 138) or completed the baseline interview (if non‐Hispanic white, n = 121). Each respondent provided information about their health history, educational attainment, health behaviors, and demographics. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy‐General (FACT‐G) and Endometrial‐specific (FACT‐En) were used to assess QOL. Results Women diagnosed with high‐grade (n = 112) and low‐grade (n = 147) EC participated in this study. EC survivors with high‐grade disease reported significantly lower QOL compared to survivors with low‐grade disease (85 vs. 91, respectively, p value = 0.025) as assessed by the FACT‐G. This difference was driven by lower physical and functional subscales among women with high‐grade disease compared to those with low‐grade disease (p value = 0.016 and p = 0.028, respectively). Interestingly, EC‐specific QOL measures, as assessed by the FACT‐En, did not differ by grade. Conclusion Grade of disease impacts QOL in EC survivors, as well as socioeconomic, psychological, and physical factors. Most of these factors are amenable to interventions and should be assessed in patients after an EC diagnosis.

Keywords

• endometrial cancer
• quality of life
• survivorship