Long-term quality-of-life evaluation after head and neck cancer treatment in a developing country.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the long-term quality of life of patients treated for head and neck cancer at a single institution in a developing country.


METHODS
Cross-sectional analysis of a consecutive series of patients.


METHODS
Tertiary cancer center hospital in Brazil.


METHODS
Eligible subjects included patients treated between 1974 and 1999 for head and neck carcinoma who had a minimum disease-free survival of 2 years and who completed a Portuguese version of the University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QOL) questionnaire.


METHODS
Descriptive analyses of the results and comparisons of the scores for each UW-QOL domain, stratified by tumor site, were performed using nonparametric tests.


RESULTS
Findings from 344 patients were analyzed. Of the study population, 140 (41%) had survived 2 to 5 years, 125 (36%) had survived 5 to 10 years, and 79 (23%) had survived more than 10 years since treatment. Primary tumor sites were in the oral cavity in 43.3% of cases, the oropharynx in 20.9%, the larynx in 32.0%, and the hypopharynx in 3.8%. In terms of treatment, 33.1% underwent surgery alone; 16.9%, radiotherapy alone; and 50% underwent combined treatment. Overall, 78.5% of the patients classified their own health as good or excellent. Stratified analysis showed that impairment in chewing and swallowing was more common in patients with oral and oropharyngeal tumors than in those with larynx and hypopharynx tumors, and speech impairment was more frequently related to patients with larynx and hypopharynx tumors than to those with oral and oropharynx tumors. In all tumor sites, the composite scores were significantly worse in advanced tumors than early stage tumors, but the use of combined treatment had the greatest negative impact on quality-of-life scores, after we adjusted for T and N stage with multivariable analyses (P<.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The Portuguese version of the UW-QOL questionnaire was an effective tool to evaluate quality of life in a Brazilian population. Although many patients reported some limitations, most reported a good to excellent long-term quality of life.
Vartanian
José Guilherme
JG
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hospital do Câncer A. C. Camargo, Rua Professor Antonio Prudente 211, 01509-900 São Paulo, Brazil.
Carvalho
André Lopes
AL
Yueh
Bevan
B
Priante
Antonio Vitor Martins
AV
de Melo
Rosana Leite
RL
Correia
Luiz Maurício
LM
Köhler
Hugo Fontan
HF
Toyota
Julia
J
Kowalski
Ivonete S Giacometti
IS
Kowalski
Luiz Paulo
LP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome