High symptom burden prior to radiation therapy for head and neck cancer: A patient-reported outcomes study

Background As a first step toward developing effective strategies to control symptoms associated with head and neck cancer (HNC) and its treatment, we sought to describe the pattern of symptoms experienced before radiation therapy. Methods Subjects completed the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory–Head an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Head & neck 2013-10, Vol.35 (10), p.1490-1498
Main Authors: Gunn, G. Brandon, Mendoza, Tito R., Fuller, Clifton D., Gning, Ibrahima, Frank, Steven J., Beadle, Beth M., Hanna, Ehab Y., Lu, Charles, Cleeland, Charles S., Rosenthal, David I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Physiological
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Aged
Cancer Care Facilities
Cluster Analysis
Cohort Studies
Deglutition Disorders - epidemiology
Deglutition Disorders - etiology
Fatigue - epidemiology
Fatigue - etiology
Female
head and neck cancer
Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology
Head and Neck Neoplasms - radiotherapy
Humans
Male
MDASI-HN
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Neoplasm Invasiveness
Neoplasm Staging
patient-reported outcomes
Prospective Studies
Quality of Life
Self Report
Sickness Impact Profile
Sleep Wake Disorders - epidemiology
Sleep Wake Disorders - etiology
Stress, Psychological
Surveys and Questionnaires
Survivors
symptom burden
symptom research
Texas
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Summary:Background As a first step toward developing effective strategies to control symptoms associated with head and neck cancer (HNC) and its treatment, we sought to describe the pattern of symptoms experienced before radiation therapy. Methods Subjects completed the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory–Head and Neck Module before beginning radiation therapy. Results In all, 270 patients participated. Symptom severity and interference varied between treatment‐naïve patients and those with prior treatment. Cluster analyses revealed that 33% of patients had high symptom burden. Symptoms most often rated moderate‐to‐severe were fatigue, sleep disturbance, distress, pain, and problems chewing and swallowing. Poorer performance status, higher T classification, and receipt of previous treatment correlated with higher symptom burden. Conclusions A substantial proportion of patients were experiencing high symptom burden. Because few interventions currently exist for several of the most problematic symptoms, research in symptom reduction that targets the pattern of symptoms described here is greatly needed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 35: 1490–1498, 2013
ISSN:1043-3074
1097-0347
DOI:10.1002/hed.23181