Table 4.
Quality of life scores on the EORTC QLQ-HN35
| EORTC QLQ-HN35 item | Preoperative Mean |
6 weeks Mean |
3 months Mean |
6 months Mean |
1 year Mean |
2 years Mean |
p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symptom scales | |||||||
| Pain | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0.029 |
| Swallowing | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0.863 |
| Senses problems | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0.855 |
| Speech problems (M) | 38 | 31 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 14 | < 0.001 |
| Speech problems (F) | 20 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 0.691 |
| Trouble with social eating | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0.970 |
| Trouble with social contact | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0.269 |
| Less sexuality | 14 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 0.905 |
| Teeth | 9 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 0.329 |
| Opening mouth | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0.220 |
| Dry mouth | 18 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 9 | 0.079 |
| Sticky saliva (M) | 15 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 13 | 0.363 |
| Sticky saliva (F) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0.963 |
| Coughing | 28 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 16 | 13 | 0.002 |
| Felt ill | 10 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 0.459 |
| Painkillers | 13 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 0.333 |
| Nutritional supplements | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.169 |
| Feeding tube | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.451 |
| Weight loss | 9 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0.037 |
| Weight gain | 5 | 19 | 19 | 23 | 17 | 7 | < 0.001 |
M male, F female