Course of Self-Reported Dysphagia, Voice Impairment and Pain in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors
Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC)-specific symptoms have a substantial impact on health-related quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine whether self-reported dysphagia, voice problems and pain of HNC patients changed over time and whether specific clinical or sociodemographic va...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/2/144 |
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| author | Veit Zebralla Susanne Wiegand Andreas Dietz Gunnar Wichmann Thomas Neumuth Anja Mehnert-Theuerkauf Andreas Hinz |
| author_facet | Veit Zebralla Susanne Wiegand Andreas Dietz Gunnar Wichmann Thomas Neumuth Anja Mehnert-Theuerkauf Andreas Hinz |
| author_sort | Veit Zebralla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC)-specific symptoms have a substantial impact on health-related quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine whether self-reported dysphagia, voice problems and pain of HNC patients changed over time and whether specific clinical or sociodemographic variables were associated with these symptoms. Methods: HNC patients (<i>n</i> = 299) in an outpatient setting answered questionnaires (Eating Assessment Tool-10; questions from the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC H&N35) on dysphagia, voice problems and pain, collected with the software “OncoFunction” at three different timepoints (t1–t3) after diagnosis. The mean score changes from t1 to t3 were expressed in terms of effect sizes <i>d</i>. The impact of sociodemographic and clinical factors on the course of the variables was tested with multivariate analyses of variance. Results: Dysphagia, voice impairment and pain in HNC survivors significantly improved over a period of approximately 14 months after diagnosis. Tumor site, stage, treatment modality, occupational state and ECOG state were significantly correlated with self-reported functional outcome. The pain level of the HNC patients was rather low. Conclusions: Patients suffer from functional impairments after HNC treatment, but an improvement in self-reported symptoms could be demonstrated within this time period. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:57:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7e862f441b54494bb1543f7ae88eb50d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:57:45Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-7e862f441b54494bb1543f7ae88eb50d2023-12-11T16:48:31ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372021-02-0110214410.3390/biology10020144Course of Self-Reported Dysphagia, Voice Impairment and Pain in Head and Neck Cancer SurvivorsVeit Zebralla0Susanne Wiegand1Andreas Dietz2Gunnar Wichmann3Thomas Neumuth4Anja Mehnert-Theuerkauf5Andreas Hinz6Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyInnovation Center Computer Assisted Surgery (ICCAS), University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyBackground: Head and neck cancer (HNC)-specific symptoms have a substantial impact on health-related quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine whether self-reported dysphagia, voice problems and pain of HNC patients changed over time and whether specific clinical or sociodemographic variables were associated with these symptoms. Methods: HNC patients (<i>n</i> = 299) in an outpatient setting answered questionnaires (Eating Assessment Tool-10; questions from the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC H&N35) on dysphagia, voice problems and pain, collected with the software “OncoFunction” at three different timepoints (t1–t3) after diagnosis. The mean score changes from t1 to t3 were expressed in terms of effect sizes <i>d</i>. The impact of sociodemographic and clinical factors on the course of the variables was tested with multivariate analyses of variance. Results: Dysphagia, voice impairment and pain in HNC survivors significantly improved over a period of approximately 14 months after diagnosis. Tumor site, stage, treatment modality, occupational state and ECOG state were significantly correlated with self-reported functional outcome. The pain level of the HNC patients was rather low. Conclusions: Patients suffer from functional impairments after HNC treatment, but an improvement in self-reported symptoms could be demonstrated within this time period.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/2/144head and neck cancerHNCsurvivorPROdysphagiaaftercare |
| spellingShingle | Veit Zebralla Susanne Wiegand Andreas Dietz Gunnar Wichmann Thomas Neumuth Anja Mehnert-Theuerkauf Andreas Hinz Course of Self-Reported Dysphagia, Voice Impairment and Pain in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors Biology head and neck cancer HNC survivor PRO dysphagia aftercare |
| title | Course of Self-Reported Dysphagia, Voice Impairment and Pain in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors |
| title_full | Course of Self-Reported Dysphagia, Voice Impairment and Pain in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors |
| title_fullStr | Course of Self-Reported Dysphagia, Voice Impairment and Pain in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Course of Self-Reported Dysphagia, Voice Impairment and Pain in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors |
| title_short | Course of Self-Reported Dysphagia, Voice Impairment and Pain in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors |
| title_sort | course of self reported dysphagia voice impairment and pain in head and neck cancer survivors |
| topic | head and neck cancer HNC survivor PRO dysphagia aftercare |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/2/144 |
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