Symptom burden and patient characteristics: Association with quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy.

Abstract

Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) experience diminished quality of life (QOL) during and after treatment. This study examined which characteristics were associated with QOL over time. One hundred thirty-three patients with HNC from a study of 534 oncology patients rated physical and mental QOL using the Short Form-12 5 times from the initiation of radiotherapy (RT) through the following 6 months. Linear mixed model analyses examined changes over time and associated characteristics. The QOL deteriorated during RT and gradually improved after completion. Less social support was negatively associated with both physical and mental QOL. Older age, more comorbidities, more psychological symptoms, and concomitant chemotherapy (CTX) were negatively associated with physical QOL. Male sex, less physical symptoms, surgery before RT, and concomitant chemotherapy were positively associated with mental QOL. Clinicians can use knowledge on time course and associated characteristics to identify and inform patients at higher risk for diminished QOL.