title: 'What will I be like' after my diagnosis of head and neck cancer?
abstract: Consequences of treating head and neck cancer are reflected in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) patient-reported outcomes. HRQOL is an important outcome alongside survival and recurrence. However, relatively little HRQOL information is in a format that patients and oncology teams can easily interpret as a guide to likely outcomes following curative treatment. The study aim was to collate University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QOL) questionnaires collected 1995-2012 at the Regional Head and Neck Surgical Unit with a view of summarizing key clinical-demographic influences on HRQOL outcomes at 2 years following diagnosis. Patients completing UW-QOL questionnaires at 9-60 months had their record closest to 2 years selected for cross-sectional analyses, while all questionnaires were analyzed to assess temporal trends. 65 % (1,134) of survivors to 9 months had a UW-QOL record in the cross-sectional analysis (median 23 months). Overall 1,349 completed 5,573 UW-QOL questionnaires. Various associations were seen, notably late overall clinical staging and treatment adversely associated with UW-QOL physical functioning domains. Logistic regression was used to better understand the predictive factors of UW-QOL outcome and determined the final formatting of tables for results. These tables provide important reference data about UW-QOL outcome at 2 years relevant to patients at the outset of their cancer journey. The increasing amount of HRQOL data allows for quite detailed subgroup analysis, which can help give patients and the clinical team a better understanding of likely long-term HRQOL outcomes. How this is best utilized in clinical care needs further evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Evidence-Based Practice Research Centre (EPRC), Faculty of Health and Social Care, Edge Hill University, St Helens Road, Ormskirk, L39 4QP, UK, snrogers.aintree@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Hogg
authors.forename: W K A
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: L K L
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jassal
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanatas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires