1. Lymphedema and Trismus after Head and Neck Cancer, and the Impact on Body Image and Quality of Life.
- Author
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Arends, Coralie R., van der Molen, Lisette, Lindhout, Josephine E., Bragante, Karoline, Navran, Arash, van den Brekel, Michiel W. M., and Stuiver, Martijn M.
- Subjects
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LYMPHEDEMA , *CANCER patient psychology , *EVALUATION of medical care , *CONFIDENCE intervals , *CROSS-sectional method , *HEAD & neck cancer , *HEALTH status indicators , *TRISMUS , *TREATMENT effectiveness , *QUALITY of life , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *RESEARCH funding , *DATA analysis software , *BODY image , *DISEASE complications - Abstract
Simple Summary: After treatment for head and neck cancer, long-term sequelae can occur, such as external lymphedema and trismus. The prevalence of lymphedema varies from 35 to 75%. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to assess the prevalence of lymphedema and trismus. There were 59 patients included in the study, treated between six months to three years ago. The prevalence of lymphedema was 94.1% with a median severity score of 9 (range 0–24). Trismus was only in 1.2% present. Body image and QoL was generally good in our population. Patients with higher lymphedema scores have poorer speech with a moderate correlation. Background: To assess the prevalence of chronic lymphedema and trismus in patients > 6 months after head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment, and to explore how the severity of these conditions correlates with body image and quality of life. Methods: The cross-sectional sample included 59 patients, treated for HNC between six months to three years ago. Physical measurements were performed to assess the presence of external lymphedema and trismus (<36 mm). Furthermore, participants completed two questionnaires regarding body image (BIS) and quality of life (UW-QoL V4). Results: Lymphedema prevalence was 94.1% (95% CI 0.86–0.98), with a median severity score of 9 (range 0–24). Trismus prevalence in this sample was 1.2%. The median BIS score was 2, indicating a positive body image. The UW-QoL score showed a good QOL with a median of 100. Only the domain of saliva and overall related health had a lower median of 70 and 60, respectively. There was no correlation between lymphedema and body image (r = 0.08, p = 0.544). Patients with higher lymphedema scores reported poorer speech with a moderate correlation (r = −0.39, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Lymphedema is a highly prevalent, but moderately severe late side-effect of HNC with a limited impact on quality of life domains except for speech, in our cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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