Quality of Life in Patients Suffering from Upper Aerodigestive Tract Cancer at a University Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Cancers of the head and neck reach 5% of all diagnosed cases of cancer in the world. And this can affect the quality of life of the affected people, because the treatment is aggressive (mutilating) even years after treatment. Objective: To profile the people affected by cancer in the upper aerodigestive tract treated at Hospital Universitario Cassiano Antonio Moraes (HUCAM); to identify Quality of Life domains affected by the treatment for this cancer and relate the sociodemographic and clinical domains affected Quality of Life of patients surveyed. Method: for this study of quantitative approach, we used the following instruments: Inventory I with sociodemographic and clinical data from patients, the instruments of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC ) QLQ-C30 (version 3) and QLQ-H&N35. Results: Patients with three types of combined treatment and advanced stage presentd a lower Physical Function with statistical significance (p = 0.031 and p = 0.010 respectively). The Primary Location of Larynx had greater association with Global Health/Quality of Life, Role Performance and Social Function, with statistical significance (p = 0.037, p=0.045 and 0.047 respectively). Conclusion: the late diagnosis interferes in the choice of therapy, but is more common to use a combined, more agressive treatment causing numerous consequences which influence the quality of life. There is a need to know the domains that are being harmed in the creation of treatment for a proper approach to the Full Attention of those patients.