Quality of life in cancer of the cervix patients.

Cancer of the cervix is one of the leading causes of death among female cancer patients in developing countries such as South Africa. Despite this, psychiatric morbidity, including impairment of quality of life, has not been well studied in such patients in this context. A total of 328 Zulu-speaking patients with cervical cancer were interviewed with a structured diagnostic instrument and with a quality of life measure (Quality of Life Index). Quality of life scores were numerically lower than published norms, and lower scores were associated with inpatient status, more advanced stage of the disease, lower Karnofsky physical performance scores, comorbid psychiatric disorder, and lower 'fighting spirit' and more 'helplessness/hopelessness'. The Quality of Life Index is a valuable instrument that can be used by clinicians in order to assess the negative impact of the