Socioeconomic Effects of and Risk Factors for Disability in Long-term Survivors of Head and Neck Cancer

Abstract

To evaluate the socioeconomic effect of and risk factors for work-related disability due to head and neck cancer and its treatment. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of a consecutive series of patients. Setting: Tertiary cancer center hospital. Patients: Eligible patients had squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract, were employed or had an active professional career at the time of initial diagnosis, and were disease free for at least 2 years at the time of interview. The survey instruments were a specific questionnaire to evaluate patient socioeconomic status and a Portuguese version of the University of Washington Quality of Life questionnaire. Main Outcome Measures: Descriptive analysis of the results and associations between clinical, social, and quality of life variables with work disability. Results: A total of 301 patients were studied. There were 236 (78.4%) men (median age, 52 years). The tumor sites

Financial Status, Employment, and Insurance Among Older Cancer Survivors

“…Second, we studied elderly cancer survivors with all types of cancers, yet variations in employment outcomes are likely to differ by age and cancer type 34 . More negative employment outcomes have been shown for head and neck cancers 11,35 than for other cancer types [7][8][9][10] . Although we had information about cancer type for a subset of patients, we had insufficient power to conduct analyses within these subgroups.…”

“…In a cohort of near elderly individuals, those who develop a new major chronic condition suffered large reductions in labor income and savings within 2 years of diagnosis 6 . Some studies suggest that cancer survivors may have lower employment rates than others; however, these studies mostly examine recently diagnosed cancer survivors and focus on specific cancer types such as breast cancer [7][8][9][10] , head and neck cancer 11 , and prostate cancer 12 . Few data are available about longterm socioeconomic indicators 5 .…”

The influence of radiotherapy on the quality of life of laringectomated patients before and after vocal rehabilitation

“…godina. I drugi autori ističu negativne efekte pušenja kada je u pitanju nastanak karcinoma larinksa [19,20,21], ali govore i o udruženom dejstvu pušenja i konzumiranja alkohola [22].…”

Os papéis ocupacionais de pessoas com câncer de cabeça e pescoço

“…Ocorre alta taxa de incapacidade para o trabalho, já que a comunicação pode ficar mais restrita e a alteração na aparência e cuidados específicos podem dificultar nova aquisição de emprego, o que leva à diminuição substancial da renda familiar e grandes dificuldades socioeconômicas para si e para a família, afetando a qualidade de vida 7 .…”