title: Disability in patients with head and neck cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with head and neck cancer often experience debilitating speech, eating, and respiratory problems as well as the psychological effects of loss of function and change in body image. These patients often become unemployed as a result of their disease process, which adds financial burden to their already stressful lives. Yet the specific factors associated with unemployment have not been systematically studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  This multisite study used survey and chart data to determine the predictors of work-related disability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 384 patients who were working prior to their diagnosis of head and neck cancer, 52% (n = 201) were disabled by their cancer treatment. Multivariate analysis demonstrated significant links between disability and chemotherapy (odds ratio [OR], 3.4; P <.001), neck dissection status (OR, 2.3; P =.01), pain scores (OR, 1.2; P =.01), and time since diagnosis (OR, 0.9; P =.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than half of the patients in this study were disabled by their head and neck cancer or treatment. Patients with head and neck cancer who have undergone chemotherapy or neck dissection or have high pain scores are at increased risk for disability from their cancer or their treatment. Efforts to prevent (if possible), better assess, and treat pain and other adverse effects of head and neck cancer treatments may also have the potential to reduce patient disability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0312, USA. Terrelj@umich.edu
authors.forename: Joseph C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Jeffrey E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Terrell
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Ronis
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: Larry L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Sonia A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.forename: Carol R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bradford
authors.forename: Douglas B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Chepeha
authors.forename: Norman D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Hogikyan
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Prince
authors.forename: Theodoos N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Teknos
authors.forename: Gregory T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome