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Background: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women globally, with quality of life (QOL) being a major concern for patients with cervical cancer, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This is largely due to the advanced nature of the disease at presentation. Although there are a higher number of studies focusing on the QOL of high-income countries, the QOL of cervical cancer patients in LMICs is not available. The aim of this study is to evaluate QOL among women with cervical cancer in Nigeria using a 2-point assessment. Methods: A multi-center prospective cohort study will be conducted in 6 tertiary health facilities randomly selected from the 6 geopolitical zones of Nigeria and consisting of a 2-point assessment of the QOL of participants at the time of diagnosis of cervical cancer and after treatment. Women who were recently diagnosed with histologically confirmed cervical cancer (treatment naïve) will be included. QOL will be assessed using Quality of Life Questionnaire domains (EORTC QLQ30) as developed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). In addition to the QOL assessment, relevant and clinicopathological variables will be obtained using a self-structured data extraction sheet designed for this study. All data will be anonymized and will be analyzed using SPSS version 25. Levels of QOL will be calculated using EORTC QLQ30. Ethical approval was obtained from National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC/01/01/2007-08/11/2021). Discussion: In view of the paucity of data on QOL in LMICs like Nigeria, where most women with cervical cancer present with advanced disease, this research was designed to help in formulating evidence-based interventions to improve the QOL and treatment outcomes provided to women with cervical cancer in Nigeria and other LMICs. The study is expected to fill these knowledge gaps.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Gonadotrophin-Releasing Hormone agonist (GnRHa) - long and short acting - is used for pituitary down regulation prior to ovarian stimulation in in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. However, there are controversies in the literature as to their effectiveness, dose of gonadotrophin needed subsequently for ovarian stimulation and the clinical outcome. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy of single-dose long-acting GnRHa - goserelin - and daily dose short-acting GnRHa - buserelin - for pituitary down regulation and their clinical outcome in IVF treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: : This prospective comparative study was undertaken at the IVF centre in National Hospital Abuja, a public tertiary hospital in Nigeria. A total of 114 IVF patients were consecutively allocated into either long-acting GnRHa - goserelin - 3.6 mg single dose (Group A) or short-acting GnRHa - buserelin - 0.5 mg daily (Group B) both starting on day 21 of the cycle preceding the IVF treatment. The effects on pituitary down regulation and treatment outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Time taken (days) to achieve down regulation (22.6 ± 4.3 vs. 26.1 ± 8.0; P = 0.084) and the mean number of human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG) doses used (57.7 ± 13.7 vs. 54.2 ± 16.7; P = 0.222) were similar in the two groups. Although the number of oocytes retrieved (9.9 ± 6.7 vs. 7.2 ± 5.0; P = 0.02) and fertilised (6.2 ± 4.4 vs. 4.6 ± 3.5; P = 0.04) were significantly higher in Group A, there was no statistically significant difference in the number of embryos (4.4 ± 2.6 vs. 4.0 ± 3.0; P = 0.850) and clinical pregnancy rate at 6 weeks (49.2% vs. 43.6%; odds ratio 1.249; confidence interval = 0.579-2.612; P = 0.578) in both the groups. While group B had a significantly higher number of hospital visits (P = 0.0001) as well as a higher number of injections (P = 0.0001), the mean cost of GnRHa and gonadotrophin used was significantly higher in Group A (P = 0.043). CONCLUSION: Single-dose long-acting GnRHa is as effective as daily dose short-acting GnRHa for pituitary desensitisation prior to controlled ovarian stimulation in IVF cycles.
