Journal
HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK
Volume 44, Issue 8, Pages 1885-1895Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/hed.27103
Keywords
adjuvant radiotherapy; decision regret; decision regret analysis; head and neck cancer; helical tomotherapy
Categories
Funding
- Projekt DEAL
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study identified factors associated with decision regret among head and neck cancer patients who underwent surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy. Higher decision regret scores were linked to lower single fraction dose, more restriction in everyday life, and various post-treatment symptoms such as trouble speaking and swallowing. Recommendations include psychosocial support for patients undergoing adjuvant radiation and considering hypofractionation for lower decision regret.
Background Decision regret reflects patient satisfaction with treatment choice and is associated with quality of life. This study aimed to identify patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics and post-treatment symptoms associated with decision regret among patients with head and neck cancer who underwent surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy. Methods In this cross-sectional study, patients completed a questionnaire during a telephone interview. The questionnaire included the Decision Regret Scale (DRS) and several specific symptom-related items. By the time of data collection, all patients had concluded their radiotherapy a minimum of 2 months and maximum of 3.3 years prior. Results Among the 108 patients included, 40.5% reported no regret, 30.1% reported mild regret, and 29.4% reported moderate to strong regret. A higher DRS score was most strongly associated with a lower single fraction dose and more restriction in everyday life. Higher DRS scores were also correlated with trouble speaking, trouble swallowing, pain in irradiated areas, dissatisfaction with one's appearance, feeling sad, and worry over one's future health. Conclusions Based on these findings, we recommended that patients with head and neck cancer undergoing adjuvant radiation receive psychosocial support and adequate treatment of late toxicity-related symptoms. When confronted with different therapeutic options, radiotherapy with a higher single fraction dose (i.e., hypofractionation) may be preferred due to its association with lower decision regret.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available