Dysphagia, voice problems, and pain in head and neck cancer patients

Abstract

Purpose Head and neck cancer (HNC) and its treatment can leave devastating side effects with a relevant impact on physical and emotional quality of life (QoL) of HNC patients. The objectives were to examine the amount of dysphagia, voice problems, and pain in HNC patients, the impact of sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical factors on these symptoms, the psychometric properties of the EAT-10, and the relationship between these symptoms and QoL variables. Methods HNC patients attending for regular follow-up from 07/2013 to 09/2019 completed questionnaires (Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10); questions from the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC H&N35) on dysphagia, voice problems, pain, fatigue, and QoL collected with the software OncoFunction. Associations between prognostic factors and symptoms were tested with analyses of variance (ANOVAs). Associations between the symptom scales and QoL variables were expressed with Pearson correlations. Results Of 689 patients, 54.9% suffered from dysphagia, the EAT-10 proved to be a reliable measure. The mean voice score was 37.6 (± 33.9) [range 0–100], the mean pain score 1.98 (± 2.24) [range 0–10]. Trimodality treatment was associated with the highest dysphagia scores. Dysphagia, voice problems, and pain significantly correlated with each other, the highest association was found for dysphagia and pain (r = 0.51). QoL was strongly correlated with dysphagia and pain (r = − 0.39 and r = − 0.40, respectively), while the association with voice problems was weaker (r = − 0.28). Conclusion Dysphagia is an important symptom in HNC patients greatly affecting patients’ QoL and significantly correlating with voice problems and pain.

The effect of the Shaker head‐lift exercise on swallowing function following treatment for head and neck cancer: Results from a randomized, controlled trial with videofluoroscopic evaluation

“…Dysphagia also has negative consequences on a patient's medical recovery and may lead to prolonged hospitalization and long‐term care 23 . Additionally, swallowing difficulties enhance the risk of malnutrition and mortality and reduce the health‐related quality of life (HRQL) 4,24–28 …”

“… 23 Additionally, swallowing difficulties enhance the risk of malnutrition and mortality and reduce the health‐related quality of life (HRQL). 4 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 …”

Postoperative Dysphagieprävalenz bei Kopf-Hals-Tumorpatienten im akutstationären Setting

“…Trotz innovativer Resektions-und Rekonstruktionsverfahren sowie sorgfältiger interdisziplinärer präoperativer Behandlungsplanung bilden Schluckstörungen unverändert eine häufige postoperative Funktionsbeeinträchtigung [1][2][3][4].…”

Changes in oral function, swallowing function, and quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer: a prospective cohort study

“…Dysphagia is one of the most common symptoms resulting from HNC treatment [ 4 , 6 ], which may be caused by surgery, external-beam radiotherapy, and concurrent chemotherapy for HNC. It has been reported in 50–70% of patients with HNC and may be a consequence of both acute and chronic complications associated with HNC treatment [ 7 – 9 ]. Other oral morbidities associated with HNC treatment that affect the oral function of patients with HNC include xerostomia and trismus [ 8 , 10 ].…”