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Exploratory study of long‐term health‐related quality of life in patients with surgically treated primary parotid gland cancer
Author(s) -
Stenner Markus,
Beenen Franziska,
Hahn Moritz,
Koopmann Mario,
Weiss Daniel,
Hüttenbrink KarlBernd
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.23858
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , facial nerve , cancer , neck dissection , radiation therapy , head and neck cancer , palsy , physical therapy , parotid gland , surgery , exploratory research , pediatrics , pathology , alternative medicine , nursing , sociology , anthropology
Abstract Background Health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) has received more and more attention as an outcome in cancer therapy. In this exploratory study, we assessed the long‐term HRQOL among 77 surgically treated patients with parotid gland cancer. Methods The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Core 30‐questions (EORTC‐QLQ‐C30) and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Core 30 Head and Neck 35‐questions (EORTC‐QLQ‐C30‐H&N35) questionnaires were used in a cross‐sectional design. The mean time‐lag between initial diagnosis and completion of the questionnaire was 89.7 months. Results The HRQOL significantly increased with the time‐lag to surgery and decreased with the patients' age. Factors with clinically significant effects in several areas of long‐term HRQOL (ie, more than 4 scores) were age, type of neck dissection, preoperative facial nerve palsy, and postoperative radiation therapy. Conclusion In parotid gland cancer surgery, factors, such as sex, age, type of surgery, facial nerve palsy, and radiation therapy, seem to be associated with clinically meaningful differences in long‐term HRQOL scores. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 111–117, 2016