Quality of life of women with lower limb swelling or lymphedema 3-5 years following endometrial cancer

Ingrid J Rowlands; Vanessa L Beesley; Monika Janda; Sandra C Hayes; Andreas Obermair; Michael A Quinn; Alison Brand; Yee Leung; Lesley McQuire; Penelope M Webb; Australian National Endometrial Cancer Study Group

doi:10.1016/j.ygyno.2014.03.003

Quality of life of women with lower limb swelling or lymphedema 3-5 years following endometrial cancer

Gynecol Oncol. 2014 May;133(2):314-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2014.03.003. Epub 2014 Mar 11.

Collaborators

Australian National Endometrial Cancer Study Group:
P Webb, J Young, L McQuire, S Baron-Hay, D Bell, A Bonaventura, A Brand, S Braye, J Carter, F Chan, C Dalrymple, A Ferrier, G Gard, N Hacker, R Hogg, R Houghton, D Marsden, K McIlroy, G Otton, S Pather, A Proietto, G Robertson, J Scurry, R Sharma, G Wain, F Wong, J Armes, A Crandon, M Cummings, R Land, J Nicklin, L Perrin, A Obermair, B Ward, M Davy, T Dodd, J Miller, M Oehler, S Paramasivum, J Pierides, F Whitehead, P Blomfield, D Challis, D Neesham, J Pyman, M Quinn, R Rome, M Weitzer, B Brennan, I Hammond, Y Leung, A McCartney, C Stewart, J Thompson, A B Spurdle

Affiliations

¹ Gynaecological Cancers Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Electronic address: Ingrid.Rowlands@qimrberghofer.edu.au.
² Gynaecological Cancers Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
³ School of Public Health and Social Work, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
⁴ Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer, c/o Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; School of Medicine, Central Clinical Division, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
⁵ Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁶ Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁷ School of Women's and Infants' Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁸ Sydney, NSW, Australia.

PMID: 24631452
DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2014.03.003

Abstract

Objective: To quantitatively assess and compare the quality of life (QoL) of women with a self-reported diagnosis of lower limb lymphedema (LLL), to women with lower limb swelling (LLS), and to women without LLL or LLS following treatment for endometrial cancer.

Methods: 1399 participants in the Australian National Endometrial Cancer Study were sent a follow-up questionnaire 3-5 years after diagnosis. Women were asked if they had experienced swelling in the lower limbs and, if so, whether they had received a diagnosis of lymphedema by a health professional. The 639 women who responded were categorized as: Women with LLL (n=68), women with LLS (n=177) and women without LLL or LLS (n=394). Multivariable-adjusted generalized linear models were used to compare women's physical and mental QoL by LLL status.

Results: On average, women were 65 years of age and 4 years after diagnosis. Women with LLL had clinically lower physical QoL (M=41.8, SE=1.4) than women without LLL or LLS (M=45.1, SE=0.8, p=.07), however, their mental QoL was within the normative range (M=49.6; SE=1.1 p=1.0). Women with LLS had significantly lower physical (M=41.0, SE=1.0, p=.003) and mental QoL (M=46.8; SE=0.8, p<.0001) than women without LLL or LLS (Mental QoL: M=50.6, SE=0.8).

Conclusion: Although LLL was associated with reductions in physical QoL, LLS was related to reductions in both physical and mental QoL 3-5 years after cancer treatment. Early referral to evidence-based lymphedema programs may prevent long-term impairments to women's QoL.

Keywords: Endometrial cancer; Lower-limb swelling; Lymphedema; Quality of life.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Australia
Case-Control Studies
Cohort Studies
Edema / complications
Edema / physiopathology
Edema / psychology*
Endometrial Neoplasms / complications
Endometrial Neoplasms / therapy*
Female
Health Status*
Humans
Leg
Linear Models
Lymphedema / complications
Lymphedema / physiopathology
Lymphedema / psychology*
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Quality of Life*
Surveys and Questionnaires