Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

Title abbreviation: Adv Clin Exp Med
JCR Impact Factor (IF) – 2.1
5-Year Impact Factor – 2.2
Scopus CiteScore – 3.4 (CiteScore Tracker 3.7)
Index Copernicus  – 161.11; MNiSW – 70 pts

ISSN 1899–5276 (print)
ISSN 2451-2680 (online)
Periodicity – monthly

Download original text (EN)

Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

2014, vol. 23, nr 6, November-December, p. 1019–1027

Publication type: review

Language: English

Head and Neck Cancer Patients’ Quality of Life

Kamil H. Nelke1,A,B,D, Wojciech Pawlak1,C,E,F, Hanna Gerber1,C,E, Jarosław Leszczyszyn2,C,E

1 Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland

2 EMC HC Clinic, Dublin, Republic of Ireland

Abstract

Patients suffering from head and neck cancers often require a multidisciplinary approach before and after surgery. Restoration of facial esthetics, speech, mastication and others often requires a long-lasting, divided rehabilitation. Quality of life (QOL) is measurable in a patient’s life before and after surgery and complete treatment. The state of QOL has different parameters depending on the patient’s clinical diagnosis, type of treatment and surgeries performed. In this paper, the authors are focusing on the quality of life of patients suffering from head and neck cancers and a proper multidisciplinary approach to achieving proper functions will be described. Also, the patient’s self-esteem improvement and psychological evaluation is necessary.

Key words

quality of life, head and neck cancers, patient’s life, functions after surgery.

References (69)

  1. World Health Organization (1993). WHOQoL Study Protocol. WHO (MNH7PSF/93.9).
  2. Murphy B, Herrman H, Hawthorne G, Pinzone T, Evert H: Australian WHOQoL instruments: User’s manual and interpretation guide. Australian WHOQoL Field Study Centre, Melbourne 2000, Australia.
  3. de Graeff A, de Leeuw JR, Ros WJ, Hordijk GJ, Blijham GH, Winnubst JA: Pretreatment factors predicting quality of life after treatment for head and neck cancer. Head Neck 2000, 22, 398–407.
  4. de Graeff A, de Leeuw JR, Ros WJ, Hordijk GJ, Blijham GH, Winnubst JA: A prospective study on quality of life of patients with cancer of the oral cavity or oropharynx treated with surgery with or without radiotherapy. Oral Oncol 1999, 1, 35, 27–32.
  5. Leung SW, Lee TF, Chien CY, Chao PJ, Tsai WL, Fang FM: Health-related Quality of life in 640 head and neck cancer survivors after radiotherapy using EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires. BMC Cancer 2011, 11:128. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-11-128.
  6. Filho MRM, Rocha BA, Pires BMO, Fonseca ES, de Freitas EM, Martelli H Jr, Santos FBG: Quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol 2013, 79, 82–88.
  7. Aaronson NK, Ahmedzai S, Bergman B, Bullinger M, Cull A, Duez NJ, Filiberti A, Flechtner H, Fleishman SB, de Haes JC: The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30: a quality-of-life instrument for use in international clinical trials in oncology. J Natl Cancer Inst 1993, 85, 365–376.
  8. Bjordal K, Hammerlid E, Ahlner-Elmqvist M, de Graeff A, Boysen M, Evensen JF: Quality of life in head and neck cancer patients: validation of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-H&N35. J Clin Oncol 1999, 17, 1008–1019.
  9. Mosel DD, Bauer RL, Lynch DP, Hwang ST: Oral complications in the treatment of cancer patients. Oral Dis 2011, 17, 550–559.
  10. Chambers MS, Garden AS, Kies MS, Martin JW: Radiation-induced xerostomia in patients with head and neck cancer: pathogenesis, impact on quality of life, and management. Head Neck 2004, 26, 796–807.
  11. Epstein JB, Tsang AH, Warkentin D, Ship JA: The role salivary function in modulating chemotherapy-induced oropharyngeal mucositis: a review of the literature. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2002, 94, 39–44.
  12. Osthus AA, Aarstad AKH, Olofsson J, Aarstad HJ: Health-Related Quality of Life Scores in long-term head and neck cancer survivors predict subsequent survival: a prospective cohort study. Clinical Otolaryngol 2011, 36, 4, 361–368.
  13. Epstein JB, Hong C, Logan RM, Barasch A, Gordon SM, Oberle-Edwards L: A systematic review of orofacial pain in patients receiving cancer therapy. Support Care Cancer 2010, 18, 1023–1031.
  14. Karvonen-Gutierrez CA, Ronis DL, Fowler KE, Terrell JE, Gruber SB, Duffy SA: Quality of Life Scores Predict Survival Among Patients With Head and Neck Cancer. JCO 2008, 28, 16, 2754–2760.
  15. Shuman AG, Duffy SA, Ronis DL, Garetz SL, McLean SA, Fowler KE, Terrell JE: Predictors of poor sleep quality among head and neck cancer patients. Laryngoscope 2010, 120, 1166–1172.
  16. Mitra JK, Mishra S, Bhatnagar S: Advanced Head & Neck Cancer: Care Beyond Cure. The Internet Journal of Pain, Symptom Control and Palliative Care 2006, 4, 2. DOI: 10.5580/15cd.
  17. Williamson JS, Ingrams D, Jones H: Quality of life after treatment of laryngeal carcinoma: a single centre crosssectional study Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2011, 93, 591–595.
  18. Logemann J, Bytell D: Swallowing disorders in three types of head and neck surgical patients. Cancer 1979, 44, 1095–105.
  19. Kendall KA: Structural mobility in deglutition after single modality treatment of head and neck carcinomas with radiotherapy. Head and Neck 1998, 20, 720–725.
  20. Kulbersh BD, Rosenthal EL, McGrew BM, Duncan RD, McColloch NL, Carroll WR, Magnuson JS: Pretreatment, preoperative swallowing exercises may improve dysphagia quality of life. Laryngoscope 2006, 116, 883–886.
  21. Leow LP, Huckabee ML, Anderson T, Beckert L: The Impact of Dysphagia on Quality of Life in Ageing and Parkinson’s Disease as Measured by the Swallowing Quality of Life (SWAL-QOL) Questionnaire Dysphagia 2010, 25, 216–220.
  22. Issihiki N: Thyroplasty as a new phonosurgical technique. Acta Otolaryngol 1974, 78, 451–457.
  23. Netterville J: Silastic medialization and arytenoids adduction; the Vanderbilt experience. A review of 116 phonosurgical procedures. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1993, 102, 413–424.
  24. Wanamaker J, Netterville J, Ossoff R: Phonosurgery: silastic medialization for unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Oper Tech Otolaryngol – Head Neck Surg 1993, 4, 207–217.
  25. Ford C, Bless D, Loftus J: Role of injectable collagen in the treatment of glottic insufficiency: a study of 119 patients. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1992, 101, 237–247.
  26. Shindo M, Saretsky L, Rice D: Autologous fat injection for unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1996, 105, 602–606.
  27. Mikaelian D, Lowry L, Sataloff R: Lipoinjection for unilateral vocal cord paralysis. Laryngoscope 1991, 101, 465–468.
  28. Thomas L, Jones TM, Tandon S, Carding P, Lowe D, Rogers S: Speech and voice outcomes in oropharyngeal cancer and evaluation of the University of Washington Quality of Life speech domain. Clin Otolaryngol 2009, 34, 34–42.
  29. Farrand P, Endacott R: Speech Determines Quality of Life Following Total Laryngectomy: The Emperors New Voice? Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures 2010, 1989–2001.
  30. Op de Coul BM, Ackerstaff AH, van As-Brooks CJ, van den Hoogen FJ, Meeuwis CA, Manni JJ, Hilgers FJ: Compliance, quality of life and quantitative voice quality aspects of hands-free speech. Acta Otolaryngol 2005, 125, 629–637.
  31. Friedman M, Landsberg R, Pryor S, Syed Z, Ibrahim H, Caldarelli DD: The occurrence of sleep-disordered breathing among patients with head and neck cancer. Laryngoscope 2001, 111, 1917–1919.
  32. Eisbruch A, Lyden T, Bradford CR, Dawson LA, Haxer MJ, Miller AE, Teknos TN, Chepeha DB, Hogikyan ND, Terrell JE, Wolf GT: Objective assessment of swallowing dysfunction and aspiration after radiation concurrent with chemotherapy for head-and-neck cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2002, 53, 23–28.
  33. Hammerlid E: Malnutrition and food intake in relation to quality of life in head and neck cancer patients. Head & Neck 1998, 20, 540–548.
  34. Morton RP, Crowder VL, Mawdsley R, Ong E, Izzard M: Elective gastrostomy, nutritional status and quality of life in advanced head and neck cancer patients receiving chemoradiotherapy. ANZ J Surg 2009, 79, 713–718.
  35. Ravasco P, Monteiro-Grillo I, Marques Vidal P, Camilo ME: Impact of nutrition on outcome: a prospective randomized controlled trial in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy. Head Neck 2005, 27, 659–668.
  36. Davidson W, Isenring E, Brown T, Riddle B: Nutritional Management Of Patients With Head And Neck Cancer: Integrating Research Into Practice. Cancer Forum 2006, 3, 30, 1–4.
  37. Short SO, Kaplan JN, Laramore GE, Cummings CW: Shoulder pain and function after neck dissection with or without preservation of the spinal accessory nerve. American J Surg 1984, 148, 478–482.
  38. McNeely ML, Parliament MB, Seikaly H, Jha N, Magee DJ, Haykowsky MJ, Courneya KS: Predictors of adherence to an exercise program for shoulder pain and dysfunction in head and neck cancer survivors. Support Care Cancer 2012, 3, 20, 515–522.
  39. McNeely ML, Parliament MB, Seikaly H, Jha N, Magee DJ, Haykowsky MJ, Courneya KS: Effect of exercise on upper extremity pain and dysfunction in head and neck cancer survivors. 2008, 6, 133, 214–222.
  40. Inoue H, Nibu K, Saito M, Otsuki N, Ishida H, Onitsuka T: Quality of life after neck dissection. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2006, 132, 662–666.
  41. Mantyh PW: Cancer pain and its impact on diagnosis, survival and quality of life. Nat Rev Neurosci 2006, 7, 797–809.
  42. Knopp KL, Nisenbaum ES, Arneric SP: Evolving cancer pain treatments: rational approaches to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2011, 12, 1627–1643.
  43. Reynolds R: Treatment-induced mucositis: an old problem with new remedies. British Journal of Cancer 1998, 77, 1689–1695.
  44. Lalla RV, Latortue MC, Hong CH, Ariyawardana A, D’Amato-Palumbo S, Fischer DJ, Martof A, NicolatouGalitis O, Patton LL, Elting LS, Spijkervet FKL, Brennan MT: Fungal Infections Section, Oral Care Study Group, Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)/International Society of Oral Oncology (ISOO): A systematic review of oral fungal infections in patients receiving cancer therapy. Support Care Cancer 2010, 18, 985–992.
  45. Cho JH, Chung WK, Kang W, Choi SM, Cho CK, Son CG: Manual acupuncture improved quality of life in cancer patients with radiation-induced xerostomia. J Altern Complement Med 2008, 14, 523–526.
  46. Henson BS, Inglehart MR, Eisbruch A, Ship JA: Preserved salivary output and xerostomia-related quality of life in head and neck cancer patients receiving parotid-sparing radiotherapy. Oral Oncol 2001, 37, 84–93.
  47. Duncan GG, Epstein JB, Tu D, El Sayed S, Bezjak A, Ottaway J, Pater J: National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group: Quality of life, mucositis, and xerostomia from radiotherapy for head and neck cancers: a report from the NCIC CTG HN2 randomized trial of an antimicrobial lozenge to prevent mucositis. Head Neck 2005, 27, 421–428.
  48. Chambers MS, Garden AS, Kies MS, Martin JW: Radiation-induced xerostomia in patients with head and neck cancer: pathogenesis, impact on quality of life, and management. Head Neck 2004, 26, 796–807.
  49. Baharvand M, ShoalehSaadi N, Barakian R, Moghaddam EJ: Taste alteration and impact on quality of life after head and neck radiotherapy. J Oral Pathol Med 2013, 42, 106–112.
  50. Epstein JB, Phillips N, Parry J, Epstein MS, Nevill T, Stevenson-Moore P: Quality of life, taste, olfactory and oral function following high-dose chemotherapy and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplantation 2002, 30, 785–792.
  51. Grewal S, Merchant T, Reymond R, McInerney M, Hodge C, Shearer P: Auditory Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Therapy: A Report From the Children’s Oncology Group PEDIATRICS 2010, 125, 4, 938–950.
  52. Hoshikawa H, Miyashita T, Mori N: Surgical Procedures for External Auditory Canal Carcinoma and the Preservation of Postoperative Hearing. Case Rep Surg 2012, 2012:841372. doi: 10.1155/2012/841372.
  53. Hughes RG, Bakos AD, O’Mara A, Kovner CT: Palliative Wound Care at the End of Life. Home Health Care Management & Practice 2005, 4, 17, 196–202.
  54. Elad S, Zadik Y, Hewson I, Hovan A, Correa ME, Logan R, Elting LS, Spijkervet FK, Brennan MT: Viral Infections Section, Oral Care Study Group, Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)/ International Society of Oral Oncology (ISOO): A systematic review of viral infections associated with oral involvement in cancer patients: a spotlight on Herpesviridea. Support Care Cancer 2010, 18, 993–1006.
  55. Saad F, Brown JE, Van Poznak C, Ibrahim T, Stemmer SM, Stopeck AT, Diel IJ, Takahashi S, Shore N, Henry DH, Barrios CH, Facon T, Senecal F, Fizazi K, Zhou L, Daniels A, Carrière P, Dansey R: Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of osteonecrosis of the jaw: integrated analysis from three blinded active-controlled phase III trials in cancer patients with bone metastases. Ann Oncol 2012, 23, 1341–1347.
  56. Nagy J, Braunitzer G, Antal M, Berkovits C, Novák P, Nagy K: Quality of life in head and neck cancer patients after tumor therapy and subsequent rehabilitation: an exploratory study. Quality of Life Research. June 2013 DOI 10.1007/s11136-013-0446-1.
  57. Foxwell KR, Scott SE: Coping together and apart: exploring how patients and their caregivers manage terminal head and neck cancer. J Psychosoc Oncol 2011, 5, 29, 308–326.
  58. Terrell JE: Quality Of Life Assessment In Head And Neck Cancer Patients. Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America 1999, 13, 1, 849–865.
  59. So WKW, Chan RJ, Chan DNS, Hughes BGM, Chair SY, Choi KC, Chan CWH: Quality-of-life among head and neck cancer survivors at one year after treatment – A systematic review. Europ J of Cancer 2012, 48, 15, 2391–2408.
  60. Duffy SA, Ronis DL, Valenstein M, Lambert MT, Fowler KE, Gregory L, Bishop C, Myers LL, Blow FC, Terrell JE: A Tailored Smoking, Alcohol, and Depression Intervention for Head and Neck Cancer Patients. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006, 11, 15, 2203.
  61. Carmack CL, Basen-Engquist K, Gritz ER: Survivors at Higher Risk for Adverse Late Outcomes Due to Psychosocial and Behavioral Risk Factors. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2011, 10, 20, 2068.
  62. Gritz ER, Demark-Wahnefried W: Health Behaviors Influence Cancer Survival. JCO 2009, 4, 27, 12, 1930–1932.
  63. Rogers LQ, Courneya KS, Robbins KT, Malone J, Seiz A, Koch L, Rao K: Physical activity correlates and barriers in head and neck cancer patients. Supportive Care in Cancer 2008, 1, 16, 19–27.
  64. Duffy SA, Ronis DL, Fowler KE, Terrell JE, Valenstein M, Lambert MT, Bishop C: The University of Michigan Head and Neck Cancer Team: Depressive Symptoms, Smoking, Drinking, and Quality of Life Among Head and Neck Cancer Patients. Psychosomatics 2007, 3, 48, 142–148.
  65. Singer S, Krauss O, Keszte J, Siegl G, Papsdorf K, Severi E, Hauss J, Briest S, Dietz A, Brähler E, Kortmann RD: Predictors of emotional distress in patients with head and neck cancer. Head Neck 2012, 4, 34, 180–187.
  66. Bjordal K, Hammerlid E, Ahlner-Elmqvist M, de Graeff A, Boysen M, Evensen JF, Biörklund A, de Leeuw JR, Fayers PM, Jannert M, Westin T, Kaasa S: Quality of life in head and neck cancer patients: validation of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-H&N35. J Clin Oncol 1999, 17, 3, 1008–1019.
  67. Demez PH, Moreau PR: Perception of head and neck cancer quality of life within the medical world: a multicultural study. Head Neck 2009, 31, 1056–1067.
  68. Wierzbicka M, Wójtowicz JG, Kuśnierkiewicz M, Szyfter W: Badanie jakości życia u chorych z nowotworami głowy i szyi w oparciu o standaryzowane kwestionariusze EORTC QLQ C-30, EORTC QLQ-H&N35. Postępy w otolaryngologii – Wrocław. Zjazd Polskiego Towarzystwa Otorynolaryngologów – Chirurgów Głowy i Szyi Mikołajki 2002, 62–71.
  69. Epstein JB, Barasch A: Taste disorders in cancer patients: Pathogenesis, and approach to assessment and management. Oral Oncol 2010, 46, 77–81.
© Wroclaw Medical University