Assessment of Quality of Life in Patients with Head and Neck Cancers

Abstract

Background and purpose: Head and neck cancers are amongst the most common cancers in the world with increasing incidence rate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life in patients with head and neck cancers in Babolsar, Iran 2016-2017. Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 65 patients with head and neck cancers attending Babolsar Shahid Rajaii Hospital. The UW-QOL4 was applied and the quality of life was assessed in three stages; before, during, and after treatment. Data analysis was carried out in SPSS V16. Results: The study population included 49 males (75.4%) with mean age of 62.44±12.44 years and 16 females (24.6%) with the mean age of 59.31±12.27 years. The age range of subjects was 30 to 91 years. Larynx (70%) and tongue (21.5%) were the two most involved areas. The mean scores for patients’ quality of life before, during, and after treatment were 17.7±0.9, 9.1±3.3, and 15.2±2.6, respectively. According to ANOVA analysis these changes were found to be significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: Quality of life of patients during treatment was significantly lower than that before treatment which increased after treatment. It is suggested to evaluate quality of life of cancer patients along with their treatment to improve their conditions and provide them with appropriate rehabilitation programs.

Keywords

• quality of life
• head and neck cancer
• oral cancer
• uw-qol4