Assessing long-term quality of life and survivorship priorities in cervical cancer patients: a social media survey-based study

Background: We evaluated quality of life (QOL) and healthcare priorities among cervical cancer survivors. Methods: We utilized the validated Short Form 12 (SF-12) survey to assess QOL (focusing on physical [P-QOL] and mental well-being [M-QOL]) and care prioritization among cervical cancer patients. Respondents were asked how they prioritize the following healthcare priorities: overall survival (OS), emotional well-being (EWB), functional independence (FI), cost of healthcare (CC), and treatment experience (TE). Kendall's coefficient of concordance (W) assessed agreement among respondents. Results: We received 100 survey respondents, they were 45.5 ± 13.8 years old and 88% White. The most common diagnoses included squamous cell carcinoma (57.0%) and adenocarcinoma (23.0%). With moderate consensus (W = 0.340, p < 0.001), patients considered OS (1.93 ± 1.26) the most important healthcare priority, followed by FI (2.63 ± 1.11) and EWB (2.76 ± 1.10). Patients attributed the lowest rank to TE (3.23 ± 1.17) and CC (4.41 ± 1.15). Patients who received chemotherapy were more likely to rank FI (2.59 ± 1.05 chemotherapy vs 2.72 ± 1.28 no chemotherapy, p = 0.620) above EWB (2.80 ± 1.09 chemotherapy vs 2.63 ± 1.15 no chemotherapy, p = 0.528). Respondents who underwent surgery reported better P-QOL (46.94 ± 12.64 vs. 37.57 ± 11.63, p < 0.001) compared to non-surgically managed patients. Both M-QOL and P-QOL did not vary significantly throughout survivorship (P-QOL: 40.61 ± 12.76 at < 1 year vs 35.43 ± 12.57 at > 5 years, p = 0.200; M-QOL: 35.74 ± 13.65 at < 1 year vs 39.55 ± 17.74 at > 5 years; p = 0.637), and remained below that of the general population (p < 0.050). Conclusions: Cervical cancer survivors experience persistent deficits in both physical and mental well-being and consistently prioritized OS and FI, and less frequently cost considerations. This study emphasizes the importance of personalized survivorship care that evolves with patients' changing priorities.