Mood, anxiety and sense of humor in head and neck cancer patients in relation to disease stage, prognosis and quality of life.
CONCLUSIONS
At diagnosis, control patients had the lowest depression levels and anxiety scores, followed by those with limited HNSCC disease and these with extended HNSCC disease. Anxiety and depression levels at diagnosis predicted prognosis via an association with extent of disease. Sense of humor, but not anxiety or depression level, predicted lower QoL and depression levels at follow-up.


OBJECTIVE
To study the association between anxiety score, depression level at sense of humor at diagnosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients versus TNM stage, prognosis and depression level/quality of life (QOL) 6 years following diagnosis. A control group of patients with benign HN disease was also included.


METHODS
Male patients with newly diagnosed HNSCC (n =78) or benign HN (n =61) disease completed the following questionnaires: the Beck Depression Inventory, the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory (state) and the Svebak humor questionnaire. Patients with cachexia or those aged >80 years were excluded. In the HNSCC patients, TNM stage, prognosis and QOL/depression level (n =27) were determined following successful therapy.


RESULTS
HNSCC patients reported high anxiety scores and lower depression levels than control patients, although there was overlap between the groups. N stage was associated with high anxiety scores and depression levels, whereas T stage was only associated with depression levels. Both anxiety scores and depression levels at diagnosis predicted prognosis through an association with TNM stage. Sense of humor, but not depression levels or anxiety scores, at diagnosis predicted QoL and depression levels at follow-up.
Aarstad
Hans Jørgen
HJ
Department of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. Hans.Aarstad@ore.uib.no
Aarstad
Anne Kari H
AK
Heimdal
John-Helge
JH
Olofsson
Jan
J
D000339:Affect; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008441:Maxillary Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic