BACKGROUND: The importance of quality-of-life (QoL) research has been recognised over the past two decades in patients with head and neck (H&N) cancer. The aims of this systematic review are to evaluate the QoL status of H&N cancer survivors one year after treatment and to identify the determinants affecting their QoL. METHODS: Pubmed, Medline, Scopus, Sciencedirect and CINAHL (2000-2011) were searched for relevant studies, and two of the present authors assessed their methodological quality. The characteristics and main findings of the studies were extracted and reported. RESULTS: Thirty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria, and the methodological quality of the majority was moderate to high. While patients of the group in question recover their global QoL by 12 months after treatment, a number of outstanding issues persist - deterioration in physical functioning, fatigue, xerostomia and sticky saliva. Age, cancer site, stage of disease, social support, smoking, feeding tube placement and alcohol consumption are the significant determinants of QoL at 12 months, while gender has little or no influence. CONCLUSIONS: Regular assessments should be carried out to monitor physical functioning, degree of fatigue, xerostomia and sticky saliva. Further research is required to develop appropriate and effective interventions to deal with these issues, and thus to promote the patients' QoL.
BACKGROUND: The importance of quality-of-life (QoL) research has been recognised over the past two decades in patients with head and neck (H&N) cancer. The aims of this systematic review are to evaluate the QoL status of H&N cancer survivors one year after treatment and to identify the determinants affecting their QoL. METHODS: Pubmed, Medline, Scopus, Sciencedirect and CINAHL (2000-2011) were searched for relevant studies, and two of the present authors assessed their methodological quality. The characteristics and main findings of the studies were extracted and reported. RESULTS: Thirty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria, and the methodological quality of the majority was moderate to high. While patients of the group in question recover their global QoL by 12 months after treatment, a number of outstanding issues persist - deterioration in physical functioning, fatigue, xerostomia and sticky saliva. Age, cancer site, stage of disease, social support, smoking, feeding tube placement and alcohol consumption are the significant determinants of QoL at 12 months, while gender has little or no influence. CONCLUSIONS: Regular assessments should be carried out to monitor physical functioning, degree of fatigue, xerostomia and sticky saliva. Further research is required to develop appropriate and effective interventions to deal with these issues, and thus to promote the patients' QoL.
Authors: Jane Turner; Patsy Yates; Lizbeth Kenny; Louisa G Gordon; Bryan Burmeister; Brett G M Hughes; Alexandra L McCarthy; Chris Perry; Raymond J Chan; Alana Paviour; Helen Skerman; Martin Batstone; Lisa Mackenzie Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2019-04-02 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: Barbara Roa Pauloski; Alfred W Rademaker; Jerilyn A Logemann; Muveddet Discekici-Harris; Bharat B Mittal Journal: Head Neck Date: 2014-08-01 Impact factor: 3.147
Authors: Lauren J Breen; Moira O'Connor; Samuel Calder; Vivian Tai; Jade Cartwright; Janet M Beilby Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2017-03-03 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: Ronald C Eldridge; Stephanie L Pugh; Andy Trotti; Kenneth Hu; Sharon Spencer; Sue S Yom; David Rosenthal; Nancy Read; Anand Desai; Elizabeth Gore; George Shenouda; Mark V Mishra; Deborah Bruner; Canhua Xiao Journal: Head Neck Date: 2019-08-22 Impact factor: 3.147
Authors: Eleni M Rettig; Gypsyamber D'Souza; Carol B Thompson; Wayne M Koch; David W Eisele; Carole Fakhry Journal: Cancer Date: 2016-05-16 Impact factor: 6.860