First year after head and neck cancer: Quality of life

Purpose:Treatment regimens for head and neck cancer patients profoundly aff ect several quality-of-life domains. Rehabilitative needs have been identif ied through cross-sectional analyser; however, few studies have prospective ly assessed quality of life, included assessment of psychosocial variables, and identified predictors of long-term follow-up. Participants and Methods: The present study addresses these limitations thr ough a prospective assessment of 105 patients with a newly diagnosed first primary squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx, or larynx. Par ticipants were enrolled onto a larger randomized controlled trial comparing a provider-delivered smoking cessation intervention with a usual-care-advi ce control condition. Participants completed a battery of self-report measu res after diagnosis and before treatment and additional quality-of-life ins truments at 1 and 12 months after initial smoking cessation advice. Results: Participants displayed improvements at 12 months in functional sta tus (P = .006) and in the areas of eating, diet, and speech; however, the l atter three represent areas of continued dysfunction, and the changes were not statistically significant. Despite these improvements, patients reporte d a decline in certain quality-of-life domains, including marital (P = .002 ) and sexual functioning (P = .017), as well as an increase in alcohol use (P < .001). Predictors of quality of life at 12 months included treatment t ype, the Vigor subscale of the Profile of Mood States instrument, and quali ty-of-life scores obtained I month after initial smoking cessation advice. Conclusion: Results reinforce the need for rehabilitation management throug h the integration of psychologic and behavioral interventions in medical fo llow-up. J Clin Oncol 17:352-360. (C) 1999 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.