Functioning in daily living and psychological well-being of female cancer patients.

The objective of this prospective study was to compare outcomes concerning psychological and physical functioning of patients with various gynecological malignancies. A sample of 119 newly diagnosed cancer patients completed two questionnaires evaluating psychological well-being and functioning in daily living. Outcome measures were obtained at three time points: before surgery, 3 months after surgery, and 1 year after surgery. The results showed that the psychological well-being improved significantly from the first to the third time point for the sample as a whole. After surgery, patients with ovarian and cervical cancer showed slightly lower scores than patients with endometrial cancer. The level of functioning in daily living declined 3 months after surgery for all except endometrial cancer patients, but increased significantly at the 1 year follow-up. At all three time points the mean differences for psychological well-being and functioning in daily living were not statistically significant among subgroups. Physical and psychological well-being of the patients treated for gynecological malignancies is affected independently of age, cancer site and stage of disease. However, throughout the observational period the psychological well-being scores were lower than those of patients with other chronic illnesses or healthy subjects. Therefore, we conclude that psychological interventions for patients facing gynecological cancer treatment should be provided as an integral component of cancer management.