Long-term Health-Related Quality of Life in Survivors of Head and Neck Cancer

Abstract

Eating problems due to poor oropharyngeal functioning and persistent pain are the most prevalent problems that these survivors face. Early interventions addressing eating issues, swallowing problems, and pain management will be a crucial component in improving this patient population's long-term QOL, especially in those who are functioning poorly 1 year after diagnosis.

Validation of the Health-related Quality of Life Instrument with 8 Items for assessing health-related quality of life in patients with oropharyngeal cancer: A comparison with the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level

“…Both instruments detected signi cant HRQoL differences between individuals treated within 12 months and those treated beyond 12 months [34]. However, unlike previous studies [35] that demonstrated poorer HRQoL in patients with advanced-stage disease or recurrence, our ndings did not show statistically cant differences between these subgroups. This may be attributed to the limited sensitivity of generic HRQoL instruments, psychological adaptation among patients, and relatively small sample size in these subgroups.…”

One‐year quality of life and functional outcomes of transoral robotic surgery for carcinoma of unknown primary

“…This result is expected from a minimally invasive surgery like TORS and one of the main advantages of this surgery is cosmetic preservation. Although some studies have shown that lower (worse) scores correlate with an age of <55 years, as is often observed in patients with head and neck cancer, we did not find any correlation with age. In our study, social domain scores were significantly lower (worse) at 1 year compared with the baseline values, and this result is not compatible with similar studies in the literature …”

Survivorship Challenges and Information Needs after Radiotherapy for Oral Cancer

“…Findings were consistent with research showing that adverse oral health outcomes are common, affecting a wide range of functions in this population [26]. Xerostomia, mucosal sensitivity, and dental health problems were almost universal complaints.…”