Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Feb;31(2):185-197.
doi: 10.1002/pon.5803. Epub 2021 Sep 7.

Psychosocial outcomes of human papillomavirus (HPV)- and non-HPV-related head and neck cancers: A longitudinal study

Melissa Henry  1   2   3 , Emily Arnovitz  1   3 , Saul Frenkiel  1   2   3   4 , Michael Hier  1   2   3 , Anthony Zeitouni  1   4 , Karen Kost  1   4 , Alex Mlynarek  1   2   4 , Martin Black  1   2 , Christina MacDonald  2 , Keith Richardson  1   4 , Marco Mascarella  1 , Gregoire B Morand  1 , Gabrielle Chartier  2 , Nader Sadeghi  1   4 , Zeev Rosberger  1   3
Affiliations

Psychosocial outcomes of human papillomavirus (HPV)- and non-HPV-related head and neck cancers: A longitudinal study

Melissa Henry et al. Psychooncology. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) has prompted a need to further investigate how this new biomarker changes the head and neck cancer (HNC) psychosocial landscape. This study aimed to: (a) characterize the sociodemographic, psychological, and social profiles of patients with HPV-positive versus -negative squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck; and (b) identify how HPV status contributes to anxiety and depression (primary outcome), quality of life (QoL), and sexuality needs.

Methods: We conducted a prospective longitudinal study of 146 patients newly diagnosed with oral, oropharyngeal, nasopharyngeal, and hypopharyngeal cancer. Seventy-nine patients were HPV-positive and 67 HPV-negative. Patients completed self-administered psychometric measures upon HNC and 3-month follow-up, and Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM Diagnoses.

Results: Patients with HPV-negative tumors generally presented with higher anxiety and depression and lower QoL immediately post-HNC diagnosis (<2 weeks) compared to HPV-positive cancers. A Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) immediately post-HNC diagnosis negatively affected patients' anxiety and depression and QoL levels upon diagnosis only when the cancer was HPV-positive. Immediately posttreatment, HPV status was not associated with outcomes. A previous history of suicidal ideation, and upon cancer diagnosis cigarette smoking, anxiety and depression, and feeling close to one's partner were instead explanatory.

Conclusion: While patients with HPV-positive HNC generally present with initially lower psychological distress, their vulnerability immediately posttreatment indicates an equal need for support. Head and neck clinics may need to better address MDD, anxiety and depression, a prior history of suicidal ideation, health behavior change, and quality of relationships.

Keywords: anxiety and depression; cancer; head and neck cancer; human papilloma virus; psycho-oncology; quality of life; sexuality needs.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Licitra L, Perrone F, Bossi P, et al. High-risk human papillomavirus affects prognosis in patients with surgically treated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. J Clin Oncol. 2006;24(36):5630-5636.
    1. Janz TA, Momin SR, Sterba KR, Kato MG, Armeson KE, Day TA. Comparison of psychosocial factors over time among HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer and tobacco-related oral cavity cancer patients. Am J Otolaryngol. 2019;40:40-45.
    1. Mehnert A, Brahler E, Faller H, et al. Four-week prevalence of mental disorders in patients with cancer across major tumor entities. J Clin Oncol. 2014;32(31):3540-3546.
    1. Kam D, Salib A, Gorgy G, et al. Incidence of suicide in patients with head and neck cancer. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015;141(12):1075-1081.
    1. Henry M, Rosberger Z, Ianovski LE, et al. A screening algorithm for early detection of major depressive disorder in head and neck cancer patients post-treatment: longitudinal study. Psycho Oncol. 2018;27:1622-1628.

Publication types