Study On Quality Of Life And Correlatin Factors In Head-Neck Carcinoma Patients

OBJECTIVETrying to evaluate the quality of life in patients after operation or radiotherapy and chemotherapy, to analyze correlation factors associated with quality of life of these patients, and to explore effective interventions to improve the life quality.METHODSApplying cross-sectional study, questionnaires were sent to 116 patients after operation or radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The assessment instruments included the University of Washington Quality Of Life questionnaire (UW-QOL), social support rating scale (SSRS), self-rating anxious scale (SAS), self-rating depressive scale (SDS), and questionnaire set up by the investigator. To evaluate the quality of life and influencing factors of head-neck carcinoma patients,and to identify the reliability of the questionnaires based on the data.RESULTS1,The scores of nine items, namely pain, appearance, activity, recreation, work, swallowing, chewing, speech, shoulder, and total scores of UW-QOL in the sampled patients were 84.09±16.22,79.55±19.89,85.82±15.11, 86.82±19.16,80.36±19.49,72.73±26.90,75.91±15.19, 76.55±17.66, 86.91±23.16,and 717.45±109.63 respectively. Compared with the related research abroad, total score in the patients were lower slightly (t=8.02 P<0.05).2,Significant correlation had been found among most of the influencing factors with the domains of the questionnaire (P<0.05)using analysis of spearman correlation analysis. Final diagnosis time, the types of the diseases, the staging of disease, way of treatment, complications, economic status, anxiety, depression and social support, were main influencing factors to the quality of life in head-neck carcinoma patients with the use of logistic regression analysis.3,The scores of chewing,swallow,and speech were lower, and the most influencing factor was the kinds of diseases, way of treatment, way of treatment respectively. Social support had influence to the three items.4,The data of measuring scales was reliable. The test-retest reliability correlation coefficients of UW-QOL were 0.798～0.950, Cronbach's alpha coefficients of nine domains were 0.794.And the test-retest correlation coefficients in SSRS, SAS and SDS were 0.659～0.882, 0.630～0.917, 0.762～0.922 respectively, Cronbach's alpha coefficients were0.732, 0.752, 0.852 respectively. CONCLUSION1,Quality of life in patients after operation or radiotherapy and chemotherapy was not satisfied in this research. The quality of life in these patients can be affected by many factors. Final diagnosis time, the types of the diseases, the staging of disease, way of treatment, complications, economic status, anxiety, depression and social support, were main influencing factors to the quality of life in head-neck carcinoma patients.2,Comprehensive measures shoulder be taken to improve the quality of life of these patients, not only physiologic factor but also psychologic factor and social factor should be strengthened. It is worth to approach combined rehabilitation intervention including Phymatology,psychology and social medicine. Choosing the Reasonable treatment, organizing anticancer association, might be effective approachs to improve the quality of life in head and neck carcinoma patients.