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. 2022 Jul;11(13):2561-2575.
doi: 10.1002/cam4.4636. Epub 2022 Mar 11.

Flourishing in head and neck cancer survivors

Alexandria Harris  1   2 , Jinhong Li  3 , Karley Atchison  2 , Christine Harrison  2 , Daniel Hall  4   5   6   7 , Tyler VanderWeele  8   9 , Jonas T Johnson  2 , Marci L Nilsen  2   10
Affiliations

Flourishing in head and neck cancer survivors

Alexandria Harris et al. Cancer Med. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Background: There is a growing cohort of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients affected by late- and long-term posttreatment side effects. Our study evaluates the relationship between the demographics, clinical characteristics, and posttreatment symptom burden with the subjective sense of flourishing among HNC survivors.

Methods: A cross-sectional, single-center study of adult survivors of squamous cell cancer of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and larynx/hypopharynx who completed the Secure Flourishing Index (SFI) and patient-reported outcomes related to depression, anxiety, swallowing dysfunction, neck disability, and insomnia between November 2020 and April 2021.

Results: A total of 100, predominantly male (86%), survivors with an average age of 63.0 ± 9.6 were included in the study. Univariable analysis showed a significant association between higher flourishing scores and advanced age (95% CI: [0.011, 0.84], p = 0.0441), normal diet (95% CI: [5.79, 31.18], p = 0.0149), employment (95% CI: [1.24, 17.20], p = 0.0239), higher income (95% CI: [7.30, 27.72], p = 0.0248), and decreased reported difficulty paying for needs (95% CI: [-33.46, -18.88], p < 0.001). Flourishing was inversely associated with higher symptoms of depression (95% CI: [-2.23, -1.15], p < 0.001), anxiety (95% CI: [-1.92,-0.86], p < 0.001), swallowing dysfunction (95% CI: [-0.77, -0.26], p < 0.001), neck disability (95% CI: [-1.05, -0.35], p < 0.001), and insomnia (95% CI: [-1.12, -0.22], p = 0.004) in the multivariable analysis.

Conclusions: Common late- and long-term side effects of HNC treatment and financial hardship are associated with lower levels of flourishing or a more negative perception of life after treatment. Results highlight the importance of symptom burden for survivors' overall evaluation of their quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

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