The psychological impact of annual chest X-ray follow-up in head and neck cancer

Conclusion. Annual post-treatment screening of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients for second primary lung cancer and metastatic recurrence appeared to form no major burden for head and neck cancer patients. A majority of patients regard the annual chest X-ray as a reassurance. Gi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta oto-laryngologica 2006-12, Vol.126 (12), p.1315-1320
Main Authors: Geurts, T. W., Ackerstaff, A. H., Van Zandwijk, N., Hart, A. A. M., Hilgers, F. J. M., Balm, A. J. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Anxiety - etiology
Biological and medical sciences
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - psychology
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - secondary
Female
Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology
Head and Neck Neoplasms - psychology
HNSCC
Humans
Lung Neoplasms - psychology
Lung Neoplasms - secondary
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Otorhinolaryngology (head neck, general aspects and miscellaneous)
Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology
Patient Satisfaction
psychological factors
Radiography, Thoracic - psychology
Stress, Psychological - etiology
Tumors
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Summary:Conclusion. Annual post-treatment screening of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients for second primary lung cancer and metastatic recurrence appeared to form no major burden for head and neck cancer patients. A majority of patients regard the annual chest X-ray as a reassurance. Given these results a more intensive screening program seems psychologically justifiable for this group. Objective. To assess the psychological impact of annual post-treatment screening for second primary lung cancer and metastases in HNSCC patients. Patients and methods. In a cohort of 106 patients, 68 men and 38 women, with a mean age of 56, the impact of the yearly chest radiograph was evaluated by means of a nine-item questionnaire. Results. In all, 90% of the patients were in favor of annual post-treatment screening, 2% would not like to receive this screening, and 8% had no preference. A majority (98%) considered the screening as an extra medical check and 76% felt reassured. Although 21% of the patients were very nervous about the outcome of the screening, only 3% wanted to avoid the yearly chest X-ray for this reason.
ISSN:0001-6489
1651-2251
DOI:10.1080/00016480600868414