Huvudhalscancer och livskvalitet : Patientens skattning av livskvalitet innan och efter strålbehandling

Sammanfattning: Introduction: Each year 1200-1300 patients are diagnosed with head neck cancer. Treatment that involves radiotherapy can cause severe side effects for example trismus that affects quality of life. Purpose: To study health-related quality of life in patients who have undergone radiation treatment for head and neck cancer and participated in a intervention group who received training intended to prevent trismus or in a control group who received standard treatment. Method: This is a prospective study in which data is collected from 66 patients participating in a randomized study aiming to evaluate a training program to prevent trismus. Thirty three participated in the intervention group and thirty three in the control group. Both patient groups assessed health related quality of life (HRQOL) with EORTC QLQ C30 and QLQ-H&N35, at start and end of the radiation treatment, and at 3 and 6-months after completing radiation treatment. Results: There is no difference between the intervention and control groups regarding symptoms, functional status and global health, except for intake of nutritional supplements.  For both groups almost all scales measuring HRQOL deteriorated under the radiation treatment. However, 3 and 6 months after end of radiotherapy HRQOL had improved and had returned to the baseline values. The only exceptions were dry mouth, sticky saliva, problems with social eating, senses and physical ability. Conclusion: Radiation therapy for head and neck cancer affects patients HRQOL both in the short and long term. Medical staff needs strategies to manage patients ' functional and symptomatic deterioration throughout the treatment period and try to prevent or relieve the symptoms that may still remain several months after radiotherapy.