Symptom burden of outpatients with malignant head and neck cancer

Introduction Therapeutic interventions in head and neck oncology often have a negative impact on quality of life. In this monocentric, prospective cohort study, we investigated the symptom burden of patients with malignant head and neck cancer in our outpatient follow-up clinic.

Material and Methods During our regular follow-up visits, patients received a standardized and validated questionnaire (MIDOS-2) to assess relevant symptoms. Primary study objectives were symptom frequency and intensity of the 10 most common symptoms in patients with head and neck cancer. Additional objectives were to derive a need for therapeutical intervention.

Results From 07/01/2019 to 12/31/2019, 227 patients with malignant head and neck tumors were surveyed. The three most common symptoms were fatigue (52.4%), weakness (37.9%), and anxiety (34.8%). Constipation (10.6%), nausea (6.2%), and vomiting (4.0%) occurred least frequently. On average [Mean], patients scored a symptom intensity of 3.23 points (SD ±3.36).

The symptoms with the highest intensities were fatigue (MW 0.73; SD ±0.818) weakness (MW 0.47, SD ±0.673) and pain (M 0.44, SD ±0.678). Therapeutic intervention should be applied above a moderate symptom intensity. This occurred for fatigue in 17.2%, for pain in 10.6%, and for lack of appetite and anxiety in 7.9% each. Rarely, the need for intervention arose for the symptoms of nausea and vomiting (0.4% each).

Summary The results show that a large proportion (76.6%) of patients with head and neck tumors have a low symptom burden. Symptom burdens requiring intervention are most common for symptoms of fatigue and pain and least common for nausea and vomiting.

Publication History

Article published online:
24 May 2022