Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population (N = 505)
| Characteristics | N | (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | ||
| Mean (Std.Dev) | 61.5 | (10.6) |
| Median (Min-Max) | 62 | (19–93) |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 392 | (77.6) |
| Female | 113 | (22.4) |
| Marital Status | ||
| Single or separated | 99 | (19.6) |
| Married or cohabiting | 405 | (80.4) |
| Not available | 1 | |
| Education | ||
| No college degree | 225 | (44.9) |
| College graduate | 276 | (55.1) |
| Not available | 4 | |
| Employment | ||
| Not employed or retired | 256 | (51.0) |
| Employed | 246 | (49.0) |
| Not available | 3 | |
| Race/Ethnicitya | ||
| Non-Hispanic White | 457 | (90.5) |
| Other | 48 | (9.5) |
| Survivorship (years)b | ||
| Average (St.Dev) | 4.6 | (4.3) |
| Median (Min-Max) | 3 | (1–36) |
| Survivorship (quartiles)b | ||
| ≤ 1 year | 141 | (27.9) |
| > 1 to ≤3 years | 115 | (22.8) |
| > 3 to ≤8 years | 145 | (28.7) |
| > 8 years | 104 | (20.6) |
| Site of HNC | ||
| Oropharynx | 270 | (53.5) |
| Oral cavity | 116 | (23.0) |
| Larynx | 55 | (10.9) |
| Other | 64 | (12.7) |
| Recurrent disease | 85 | (16.9) |
| Other primary cancer | 72 | (14.3) |
| Treatmentc | ||
| Chemotherapy | 293 | (58.1) |
| Radiotherapy | 411 | (81.5) |
| Surgery | 317 | (62.9) |
| Modality | ||
| Single | 133 | (26.3) |
| Two | 223 | (44.2) |
| Three | 147 | (29.2) |
| Comorbiditiesc | ||
| Hypertension | 213 | (43.4) |
| Herniated disc and radiculopathy | 109 | (22.1) |
| Osteoarthritis | 64 | (13.0) |
| Neuropathic pain | 57 | (11.6) |
| Diabetes | 55 | (11.2) |
| Coronary heart disease | 47 | (9.6) |
| Emphysema and lung disease | 31 | (6.3) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 31 | (6.3) |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 21 | (4.3) |
| Pain Status | ||
| With Pain | 227 | (45.0) |
| No Pain | 278 | (55.0) |
| Pain Intensityd | ||
| No Pain | 278 | (55.4) |
| Mild | 89 | (17.7) |
| Moderate | 98 | (19.5) |
| Severe | 37 | (7.4) |
| Not available | 3 | |
| Using pain medication | ||
| Yes | 147 | (29.1) |
| No | 355 | (70.3) |
| Not available | 3 | |
| Using prescription pain medication | 73 | (14.5) |
| Using weak opioids | 7 | (1.4) |
| Using strong opioids | 70 | (13.9) |
| Using over-the-counter pain medication | 112 | (22.2) |
| Using psychotropic medication for pain | 19 | (3.8) |
| Using any alternative pain therapies | 39 | (7.7) |
| Analgesia Classificatione | ||
| No analgesic | 355 | (70.4) |
| Step 1 | 76 | (15.1) |
| Step 2 | 3 | (0.6) |
| Step 3 | 70 | (13.9) |
| Not available | 1 | |
aRace categories included: White; Other = Black, African American, or African; American Indian/Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Asian; Other (specify)
Ethnicity included: non-Hispanic; Hispanic
bNumber of years from date of HNC diagnosis
cCategories are non-exclusive. Displayed is “yes” response to exposure/having comorbidity
dBased on NCCN 2019 cancer pain criteria
eWorld Health Organization analgesia ladder