Impact of pre-brachytherapy indwelling urinary catheters on comfort and psychological well-being patients with cervical cancer

¹ Department of Gynecology and Urogenital Neoplasm, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, the Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China

² Radiation Treatment Center, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, the Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China

³ Department of Head & Neck Breast Oncology, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, the Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China

CP, 4517

Submitted: 13 August 2024 | Accepted: 3 December 2024 | Published: 27 December 2024

© 2024 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

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Abstract

This study aimed to explore the effects of indwelling urinary catheters before brachytherapy on patient comfort and psychological stress in cervical cancer patients. A total of 140 patients with stage IIA or higher cervical cancer were randomly assigned to two groups: The indwelling catheter group (n = 70) and the non-indwelling catheter group (n = 70). Radiation exposure risks were compared using dose-volume histograms. Brachytherapy, a high-dose-rate micro-radiation therapy, was performed using the Utrecht applicator. Tumor treatment efficacy and levels of norepinephrine (NE), cortisol (Cor), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were measured. The patient’s fear, psychological state, comfort, and quality of life were evaluated before and after the intervention. Results showed that radiation exposure to healthy tissues was lower in the indwelling catheter group (P < 0.05), with a reduced rate of excessive radiation exposure compared to the non-indwelling catheter group. Before the intervention, the indwelling catheter group had higher Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF) scores, but no significant difference was observed between groups after the intervention. Tumor size was smaller in the indwelling catheter group, and treatment outcomes were significantly better. Levels of NE, Cor, and ACTH were higher in the indwelling catheter group. Comfort scores were lower in the indwelling catheter group, but their quality of life was better compared to the non-indwelling catheter group. In conclusion, the use of indwelling catheters in brachytherapy for cervical cancer improves treatment outcomes and quality of life. While it may cause temporary discomfort and psychological stress, no long-term negative effects were observed.

Keywords

Cervical cancer

Brachytherapy

Indwelling catheter

Comfort

Psychological stress

Funding

This study was funded by the Basic Research Program of Shanxi Province (Approval No. 202103021224365). The funder had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, report writing, or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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