Psychosocial Interventions for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer

Abstract

A diagnosis of head and neck cancer, like any cancer diagnosis, is often accompanied by much fear and uncertainty. In addition, patients with head and neck cancer face difficulties in eating, chewing, drinking, breathing, speaking, as well as changes in appearance. Simultaneously, the burden of head and neck cancer is often manifested in psychosocial dysfunction, which can have a negative impact on quality of life. Although a phenomenon well recognized, little is known about many factors that influence or impact psychosocial dysfunction in individuals with head and neck cancer. Even less is known about the effective management of psychosocial dysfunction. To date, there is evidence to suggest that psychosocial interventions generally provide an overall positive effect. Moreover, some intervention studies, such as education alone, have failed to achieve the desired results. In addition, some studies suggest an advantage of cognitive- behavioral therapy over other forms of psychological treatment. With the growing impetus to investigate factors associated with psychosocial dysfunction, and considerable advancement in the development and validation of many global and disease-specific measures, there is an opportunity for further research to develop an appropriate clinical intervention program for such patients.

Predictors of adherence to an exercise program for shoulder pain and dysfunction in head and neck cancer survivors

“…HNC survivors are often from socially disadvantaged backgrounds [2]. Moreover, in the HNC population, lower socioeconomic status and poorer levels of education often go hand-in-hand [2,27]. A recent trial examining productivity and work ability in cancer survivors identified HNC as a cancer that resulted in large reductions in employment and earnings [28].…”

A review and recommendations for optimal outcome measures of anxiety, depression and general distress in studies evaluating psychosocial interventions for English-speaking adults with heterogeneous cancer diagnoses

“…Further RCTs were sought via review reference lists [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. The systematic review was limited to results from English-speaking samples to minimise problems in generalising results across languages and cultures.…”

Meaning of work and the process of returning after head and neck cancer

“…Patients often suffer from different sequelae from the cancer itself, side effects of treatment, and individual factors such as unhealthy eating habits and alcohol and tobacco abuse [7]. Frequent sequelae are trismus, swallowing problems, dry mouth, shoulder disability, lymphedema, speech impediments, altered physical appearance, and psychological distress [8][9][10]. The process of returning to work is problematic in some HNC survivors but not all.…”