PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OF GYNECOLOGICAL CANCER SURVIVORS IN THE FIRST AND FOURTH QUARTER AFTER HIGH DOSE RATE BRACHYTHERAPY

Abstract

Background

Gynecological cancers develop in the female reproductive system and include cancer of the cervix, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vulva, and vagina. High dose rate brachytherapy (BATD) is often used in the treatment of gynecological malignancies, however, it can induce serious side effects of late onset, such as changes in the bowel, urinary tract/bladder and vagina. The practice of physical activity (PA) has positive results on the side effects of gynecological cancer and its treatment.

Objectives

To compare the level of PA in women who survived gynecological cancer in the first and fourth trimester after BATD at a reference oncology institution in southern Brazil.

Methods

Retrospective and longitudinal study based on electronic medical records of women with gynecological cancer treated at the physiotherapy outpatient clinic of the Oncological Research Center (CEPON) in Santa Catarina. The short version of the Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess the level of PA. The collected information was stored in a spreadsheet in Microsoft the IBM SPSS program, version 20.0, was used for statistical analysis. Variables were analyzed descriptively using simple frequency and percentages (categorical variables) and measures of position and dispersion (numerical variables). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was performed to verify the normality of the data. To compare the variables related to PA according to the IPAQ (PA time - minutes per day; weekly frequency; sitting time) between the first trimester after radiotherapy and the fourth trimester, the Wilcoxon test was used, with the significance level adopted as 5%.

Results

34 participants were included with a mean age of 53.4 ± 13.5 years. Most were classified as insufficiently active in both the first (55.9%) and fourth (64.7%) trimester after BATD. In addition, an increase in sedentary behavior was identified, with greater relevance in the fourth quarter, so that the average sitting time on a weekday was 147.4±102.4 minutes per day (min/day) in the first quarter to 211.8±125.7 min/day in the fourth quarter (p= 0.007); as well as the average sitting time on a weekend day, increased from 151±103.5 min/day on the first day to 228.5±133.3 min/day (p=0.002).

Conclusion

It was possible to notice that the majority of gynecological cancer survivors do not reach the PA recommendations in the first and fourth trimester after BATD. It was also found that women have sedentary behavior after treatment, especially in the fourth trimester after BATD, spending more time sitting compared to the first quarter.

Implications

The study demonstrates the importance of encouraging the practice of physical activity among survivors of gynecological cancer, especially in cancer treatment centers.