Terro W, Crean St J
Beirut Arab University (BAU), Dental School, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Division; Lebanese University (LU), Dental School; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, North Glamorgan NHS Trust University of Wales College of Medicine, UK.
School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education; Dental Research and Knowledge Transfer, UCLan; University of Central Lancashire.
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2017 Jul;55(6):613-617. doi: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2017.04.004. Epub 2017 Apr 26.
Cancer of the head and neck has profound psychosocial and physical effects on patients, so quality of life (QoL) is an essential consideration-not only is it of importance to the patient but it also provides a subjective measure of the success of treatment. However, we know of little work about its influence on carers. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the diagnosis and treatment on the QoL of patients and their carers from baseline (preoperatively) to three months postoperatively. Thirty-six patients and 21 primary carers were enrolled, and patients completed one head-and-neck-specific measure, the University of Washington Head and Neck, Version Four (UW-V4), and three other questionnaires, both at the time of diagnosis and at one and three months postoperatively. The carers completed similar questionnaires except for the UW-V4. Analysis of the patients' data showed a serious deterioration in psychosocial and physical domains at one month postoperatively. However, the analysis of carers' data showed a highly significant deterioration in anxiety and depression domains (p<0.01), which remained low after three months. These findings highlight the need for psychological support not only for patients but also for their primary carers during the management of carcinoma of the head and neck.
头颈癌对患者有着深远的心理社会和身体影响，因此生活质量（QoL）是一个至关重要的考量因素——它不仅对患者很重要，还提供了治疗成功与否的主观衡量标准。然而，我们对其对护理人员的影响了解甚少。本研究的目的是评估从基线（术前）到术后三个月，诊断和治疗对患者及其护理人员生活质量的影响。招募了36名患者和21名主要护理人员，患者在诊断时以及术后1个月和3个月完成了一项针对头颈的特定测量工具——华盛顿大学头颈问卷第四版（UW-V4）以及其他三项问卷。护理人员除UW-V4外完成了类似问卷。对患者数据的分析显示术后1个月心理社会和身体领域严重恶化。然而，对护理人员数据的分析显示焦虑和抑郁领域有高度显著的恶化（p<0.01），三个月后仍处于低水平。这些发现凸显了在头颈癌治疗过程中不仅需要为患者，也需要为其主要护理人员提供心理支持。
