Top

European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology

Published in:

Open Access 01-06-2007 | Head and Neck

Quality of life and functional status in patients with cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx: pretreatment values of a prospective study

Authors: Pepijn A. Borggreven, Irma M. Verdonck-de Leeuw, Martin J. Muller, Milou L. C. H. Heiligers, Remco de Bree, Neil K. Aaronson, C. René Leemans

Published in: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology | Issue 6/2007

Abstract

We assessed the pretreatment health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and functional status of patients with advanced oral and oropharyngeal cancer. Eighty patients were investigated. HRQOL was assessed by EORTC QLQ-C30/QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires. Functional status assessment comprised speech and oral function tests. The results revealed a wide range of HRQOL and functional deficits before treatment. HRQOL appeared to be related to some extent to tumor site (patients with oral tumors reported more pain compared to patients with oropharyngeal tumors) and tumor classification (patients with T3–T4 tumors reported more trouble opening the mouth and felt more ill compared to patients with T2 tumors). Comorbidity appeared to have a major impact. Patients with comorbidity had significantly worse scores on several scales/items on both the EORTC questionnaires. Functional deficits were related to tumor site, classification and comorbidity. Patients with oral cavity tumors (versus oropharyngeal tumors), patients with T3–T4 tumors (versus T2 tumors), and patients with comorbidity (versus without comorbidity) scored significantly worse on several speech and oral function tests. Impaired speech and oral function appeared to be clearly related to global quality of life (QLQ-C30) and self-reported speech (QLQ-H&N35). Many patients with advanced oral and oropharyngeal cancer have compromised HRQOL and functional status before the start of treatment. In addition to tumor site and tumor classification, comorbidity appears to have a major impact on HRQOL and functional status. Knowledge of pretreatment HRQOL and functional status levels is useful for better understanding the impact of treatment on these outcomes over time.

List MA, Lee Rutherford J, Stracks J et al (2002) An exploration of the pretreatment coping strategies of patients with carcinoma of the head and neck. Cancer 95:98–104PubMedCrossRef

Hammerlid E, Bjordal K, Ahlner-Elmqvist M et al (2001) A prospective study of quality of life in head and neck cancer patients. Part I: at diagnosis. Laryngoscope 111:669–680PubMedCrossRef

Funk GF, Karnell LH, Dawson CJ et al (1997) Baseline and post-treatment assessment of the general health status of head and neck cancer patients compared with United States population norms. Head Neck 19:675–683PubMedCrossRef

de Graeff A, de Leeuw JR, Ros WJ et al (2000) Pretreatment factors predicting quality of life after treatment for head and neck cancer. Head Neck 22:398–407PubMedCrossRef

Bjordal K, Ahlner-Elmqvist M, Hammerlid E et al (2001) A prospective study of quality of life in head and neck cancer patients. Part II: Longitudinal data. Laryngoscope 111:1440–1452PubMedCrossRef

McKinstry A, Perry A (2003) Evaluation of speech in people with head and neck cancer: a pilot study. Int J Lang Commun Disord 38:31–46PubMedCrossRef

Fung K, Terrell JE (2004) Outcomes research in head and neck cancer. ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec 66:207–213PubMed

Hammerlid E, Taft C (2001) Health-related quality of life in long-term head and neck cancer survivors: a comparison with general population norms. Br J Cancer 84:149–156PubMedCrossRef

Schliephake H, Jamil MU (2002) Prospective evaluation of quality of life after oncologic surgery for oral cancer. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 31:427–433PubMedCrossRef

10.

Kessler PA, Bloch-Birkholz A, Leher A et al (2004) Evaluation of quality of life of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Comparison of two treatment protocols in a prospective study. Radiother Oncol 70:275–282PubMedCrossRef

11.

Shepherd KL, Fisher SE (2004) Prospective evaluation of quality of life in patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancer: from diagnosis to three months post-treatment. Oral Oncol 40:751–757PubMedCrossRef

12.

Schonweiler R, Altenbernd C, Schmelzeisen R et al (1996) Artikulationsfähigkeit und verständlichkeit der sprache bei patienten mit mundhöhlenkarzinomen. Ein vergleich prä- und postoperativer ergebnisse bei verschiedenen rekonstruktionstechniken. HNO 44:634–639PubMedCrossRef

13.

Colangelo LA, Logemann JA, Pauloski BR et al (1996) T stage and functional outcome in oral and oropharyngeal cancer patients. Head Neck 18:259–268PubMedCrossRef

14.

Rogers SN, Lowe D, Fisher SE et al (2002) Health-related quality of life and clinical function after primary surgery for oral cancer. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 40:11–18PubMedCrossRef

15.

Seikaly H, Rieger J, Wolfaardt J et al (2003) Functional outcomes after primary oropharyngeal cancer resection and reconstruction with the radial forearm free flap. Laryngoscope 113:897–904PubMedCrossRef

16.

Piccirillo JF (2000) Importance of comorbidity in head and neck cancer. Laryngoscope 110:593–602PubMedCrossRef

17.

Pourel N, Peiffert D, Lartigau E et al (2002) Quality of life in long-term survivors of oropharynx carcinoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 54:742–751PubMedCrossRef

18.

Fang FM, Chiu HC, Kuo WR et al (2002) Health-related quality of life for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with cancer-free survival after treatment. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 53:959–968PubMedCrossRef

19.

Terrell JE, Ronis DL, Fowler KE et al (2004) Clinical predictors of quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 130:401–408PubMedCrossRef

20.

Aaronson NK, Ahmedzai S, Bergman B et al (1993) The European organization for research and treatment of cancer QLQ-C30: a quality-of-life instrument for use in international clinical trials in oncology. J Natl Cancer Inst 85:365–376PubMedCrossRef

21.

Bjordal K, Hammerlid E, Ahlner-Elmqvist M et al (1999) Quality of life in head and neck cancer patients: validation of the European organization for research and treatment of cancer quality of life questionnaire-H&N35. J Clin Oncol 17:1008–1019PubMed

22.

Hjermstad MJ, Fayers PM, Bjordal K et al (1998) Using reference data on quality of life—the importance of adjusting for age and gender, exemplified by the EORTC QLQ-C30 (+3). Eur J Cancer 34:1381–1389PubMedCrossRef

23.

Teichgraeber J, Bowman J, Goepfert H (1986) Functional analysis of treatment of oral cavity cancer. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 112:959–965PubMed

24.

Karnell LH, Funk GF, Hoffman HT (2000) Assessing head and neck cancer patient outcome domains. Head Neck 22:6–11PubMedCrossRef

25.

Alonso J, Ferrer M, Gandek B et al (2004) Health-related quality of life associated with chronic conditions in eight countries: results from the international quality of life assessment (IQOLA) project. Qual Life Res 13:283–298PubMedCrossRef

26.

Borggreven PA, Kuik DJ, Quak JJ et al (2003) Comorbid condition as a prognostic factor for complications in major surgery of the oral cavity and oropharynx with microvascular soft tissue reconstruction. Head Neck 25:808–815PubMedCrossRef

27.

Borggreven PA, Kuik DJ, Langendijk JA et al (2005) Severe comorbidity negatively influences prognosis in patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancer after surgical treatment with microvascular reconstruction. Oral Oncol 41:358–364PubMedCrossRef

28.

Ferrier MB, Spuesens EB, Le Cessie S et al (2005) Comorbidity as a major risk factor for mortality and complications in head and neck surgery. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 131:27–32PubMedCrossRef

29.

Derks W, de Leeuw RJ, Hordijk GJ (2005) Elderly patients with head and neck cancer: the influence of comorbidity on choice of therapy, complication rate, and survival. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 13:92–96PubMedCrossRef

30.

Taylor JC, Terrell JE, Ronis DL et al (2004) Disability in patients with head and neck cancer. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 130:764–769PubMedCrossRef

Title: Quality of life and functional status in patients with cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx: pretreatment values of a prospective study
Authors: Pepijn A. Borggreven
Irma M. Verdonck-de Leeuw
Martin J. Muller
Milou L. C. H. Heiligers
Remco de Bree
Neil K. Aaronson
C. René Leemans
Publication date: 01-06-2007
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology / Issue 6/2007
Print ISSN: 0937-4477
Electronic ISSN: 1434-4726
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-007-0249-5

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Quality of life and functional status in patients with cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx: pretreatment values of a prospective study

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 6/2007

Histologic assessment of epithelial thickness in early laryngeal cancer or precursor lesions and its impact on endoscopic imaging

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory canal: case report

Patulous Eustachian tube associated with hemodialysis

Activity of chemotherapy in the palliative treatment of salivary gland tumors: review of the literature

How to reduce diathermy in tonsillectomy: description of technique and analysis of results

Conservative management of a major post-intubation tracheal injury and review of current management