Abstract
Objective. To determine the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) status on quality of life (QOL) in patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Since OSCC that are associated with high-risk HPV have an improved response to treatment and survival, we hypothesized that patients with these tumors would have better QOL trajectories.Study Design. Prospective cohort study.Setting. Tertiary care academic medical center and 2 affiliated hospitals.Subjects and Methods. Head and neck-specific QOL was determined using the University of Washington Quality of Life scale version 4 in patients with newly diagnosed invasive OSSC (N = 228).Results. Pretreatment QOL was higher in patients with high-risk HPV-associated tumors compared with patients with HPV-negative or low-risk HPV-associated tumors (P =.015). Patients with high-risk HPV-associated tumors had larger decreases in QOL from pretreatment to immediate posttreatment compared with patients with HPV-negative or low-risk HPV-associated tumors (P =.041). There was no association between HPV status and 1-year posttreatment QOL.Conclusion. Among OSCC patients, high-risk HPV-associated tumors were associated with higher pretreatment QOL and a larger decrease in QOL from pretreatment to immediate posttreatment, suggesting that treatment intensity in this unique population may adversely affect QOL.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 739-745 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (United States) |
Volume | 146 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2012 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We wish to acknowledge the resources from and use of facilities at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, University of Washington Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. This study was supported by grant R01CA095419 from National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; grant 1K1L2RR025015-01 from the National Center for Research Resources; and by funds from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Keywords
- epidemiology/outcomes research
- head and neck cancer
- head and neck surgery
- human papillomavirus
- oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma
- quality of life