Genitourinary symptoms and the quality of life of women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy

Abstract

This study aimed to compare genitourinary
symptoms and quality of life in women with breast
cancer before and after chemotherapy treatment.
This is a prospective and analytical study carried out
with 60 women treated at a hospital in the state of Paraná.
Sociodemographic data, menopausal status, climacteric
symptoms, quality of life, and pelvic floor strength and
resistance were collected. Descriptive statistics, t-tests,
Shapiro-Wilk, Cochran, Factorial Analysis of Variance
for Repeated Measures and Fishers least significance
difference were used for data analysis. Participants suffered
genitourinary alterations, such as reduced strength and
resistance of the pelvic floor muscles, urinary incontinence
and vulvovaginal atrophy, regardless of the evaluated
factors (type of chemotherapy, parity, and menopausal
status). Therefore, greater attention and discussion by
multidisciplinary health teams is necessary, as these
symptoms can be reduced and managed if recognized early.