Conference Abstracts - Summit on Cancer Health Disparities (SCHD26)
Vol. 6, Issue Supplement 1, 2026 · S1-2
Evaluation of acute treatment-related toxicity and quality of life for patients with cervical cancer undergoing concomitant chemoradiation
Stephene Shadrack Meena, Ph.D,Geofrey Soko, Ph.D,Harrison Chuwa, Masters of Medicine,Jerry Ndumbalo, Ph.D,Alita Mrema, Masters of Medicine,Emmanuel Lugina, Ph.D
Submission received: 2025-11-11 / Accepted: 2026-01-07 / Published: 2026-02-08
Introduction
Concurrent chemoradiation is a crucial element in the treatment of cervical cancer, frequently associated with numerous debilitating side effects that can significantly impact a patient's quality of life, compliance with treatment, and overall prognosis.
Objective
Assessment of acute treatment-related toxicity and quality of life (QoL) for both HIV negative and positive cervical cancer patients who received concomitant chemoradiation at the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) in Tanzania.
Methodology
Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review board. The target population comprised cervical cancer patients with confirmed histopathological results who had undergone concomitant chemoradiation and had consented to participate in our study. Random sampling was employed to select the study sample. A questionnaire was created for data collection. Treatment-related toxicity was assessed according to WHO criteria for grading toxicity, while the quality of life (QoL) was evaluated using the ECOG performance scale.
The Chi-square test and multivariate analysis were utilized to examine the relationship between variables.
Results
A total of 152 individuals participated in the study, comprising 26 who were HIV positive and 126 who were HIV negative. Among these participants, 5.7% of those who were HIV positive and 43.7% of those who were HIV negative exhibited skin reactions, while 61.5% of the HIV positive participants and 38% of the HIV negative participants reported experiencing diarrhea. Comparably, 85% of the HIV positive participants and 84% of the HIV negative participants reported nausea and vomiting. Furthermore, 61.5% of the HIV positive participants and 44.4% of the HIV negative participants experienced dysuria. Overall, the incidence of acute treatment-related toxicity was higher among HIV positive participants than their HIV negative counterparts. However, by the sixth week of treatment, 88% of the HIV positive participants and 70% of the HIV negative participants reported a poor quality of life.
Conclusion
The research indicates that cervical cancer patients who are HIV positive encountered greater acute treatment-related toxicity and a poorer quality of life in comparison to participants who are HIV negative.