Patient reported dry mouth: Instrument comparison and model performance for correlation with quality of life in head and neck cancer survivors

Associations between patient-reported late effects and systemic cytokines in long-term survivors of head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy

PURPOSE

Head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment may lead to late effects and impaired health-related quality of life of survivors. Knowledge on long-term late effects after radiotherapy (RT) and potential underlying biological mechanisms is lacking. We assessed the prevalence of xerostomia, dysphagia, and chronic fatigue (CF) in HNC survivors ≥ 5 years post-RT, and examined associations between pro-inflammatory cytokines and late effects.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study, 263 HNC survivors treated between 2007 and 2013 were enrolled. They completed validated questionnaires assessing xerostomia and dysphagia (the EORTC QLQ-H&N35), and CF (the Fatigue Questionnaire), and underwent blood sampling and clinical examination. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed in 262 survivors and 100 healthy age- and gender-matched controls.

RESULTS

Median time since treatment was 8.5 years. The proportions of survivors reporting xerostomia, dysphagia, and CF were 58%, 31%, and 33%, respectively, with a preponderance of females. We found no significant associations between IL-6, IL-8, IP-10, TARC, TNF, or ENA-78 and the three late effects. The odds of having elevated levels of IL-6 and IP-10 were significantly higher in the survivors compared to the controls.

CONCLUSIONS

More than one-third of long-term HNC survivors experienced xerostomia, dysphagia, and CF. Persistent inflammation, with elevated systemic cytokines, was not associated with these late effects, although HNC survivors had higher levels of some cytokines than the controls.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

This study provides new knowledge on late effects that can serve as grounds for informing patients with HNC about risk of late effects more than 5 years after RT.

Novel Strategies for Orofacial Soft Tissue Regeneration

Significance: Orofacial structures are indispensable for speech and eating, and impairment disrupts whole-body health through malnutrition and poor quality of life. However, due to the unique and highly specialized cell populations, tissue architecture, and healing microenvironments, regeneration in this region is challenging and inadequately addressed to date. Recent Advances: With increasing understanding of the nuanced physiology and cellular responses of orofacial soft tissue, novel scaffolds, seeded cells, and bioactive molecules were developed in the past 5 years to specifically target orofacial soft tissue regeneration, particularly for tissues primarily found within the orofacial region such as oral mucosa, taste buds, salivary glands, and masseter muscles. Critical Issues: Due to the tightly packed and complex anatomy, orofacial soft tissue injury commonly implicates multiple tissue types, and thus functional unit reconstruction in the orofacial region is more important than single tissue regeneration. Future Directions: This article reviews the up-to-date knowledge in this highly translational topic, which provides insights into novel biologically inspired and engineered strategies for regenerating orofacial component tissues and functional units.

The Unique Symptom Burden of Patients Receiving CAR T-Cell Therapy

OBJECTIVES

There is little research on the patient experience of symptom burden from CAR T-cell therapy, and no validated measure specific to the symptoms of CAR T-cell therapy currently exists. The purpose of this study was to identify symptoms experienced and to determine the content domain for a patient-reported outcome (PRO) measuring symptom burden for patients who had received standard of care CAR T-cell therapy for advanced B-cell lymphoid malignancies.

DATA SOURCES

Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of 21 patients who had received CAR T-cell therapy. Content analysis was used to define the symptom burden content domain.

CONCLUSION

Sixty-two percent of patients were interviewed within 3 months of therapy; 81.0% experienced cytokine release syndrome and 28.6% experienced neurotoxicity. Content analysis found 31 symptoms related to disease and treatment. The most common disease-related symptom identified by patients was pain (43%). The most common symptoms identified by patients as related to CAR T-cell therapy included fatigue (tiredness) (62%), lack of appetite (29%), headache (29%), chills or feeling cold (24%), and feeling confused (24%). The qualitative analysis also confirmed that symptoms interfere with daily activities, work, walking, relationships with others, mood, and enjoyment of life.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Patients who receive standard CAR T-cell therapy experience numerous symptoms related to disease and CAR T-cell therapy, including symptoms related to the T-cell infusion. Symptoms may result in interference with daily activities, relationships, treatment adherence, and mood. Oncology nurses should be aware of and assess symptom related to CAR T-cell therapy.

Determinants of patient-reported xerostomia among long-term oropharyngeal cancer survivors

BACKGROUND

This study was conducted to identify clinicodemographic risk factors for xerostomia among long-term oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) survivors.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 906 disease-free, adult OPC survivors with a median survival duration at the time of survey of 6 years (range, 1-16 years); self-reported xerostomia scores were available for 877 participants. Study participants had completed curative treatment between January 2000 and December 2013 and responded to a survey administered from September 2015 to July 2016. The primary outcome variable was cancer patient-reported xerostomia measured with the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Head and Neck Cancer Module. Clinicodemographic risk factors for moderate to severe xerostomia were identified via multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

Moderate to severe xerostomia was reported by 343 of the respondents (39.1%). Female sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.82; 95% CI, 1.22-2.71; P = .003; Bayesian false-discovery probability [BFDP] = 0.568), high school or lower education (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.19-2.52; P = .004; BFDP = 0.636), and current cigarette smoking at the time of survey (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.19-5.47; P = .016; BFDP = 0.800) were risk factors for moderate to severe xerostomia, and bilateral intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combined with proton therapy and ipsilateral IMRT were protective.

CONCLUSIONS

In this large xerostomia study, modern radiotherapy was a protective factor, and continued cigarette smoking at the time of survey, female sex, and high school or lower education were identified as other contributing risk factors associated with moderate to severe xerostomia. Importantly, these findings need to be confirmed in prospective studies. These results can inform future research and targeted patient-centered interventions to monitor and manage radiation therapy-associated xerostomia and preserve quality of life among patients with OPC.

A prospective study of patient-reported xerostomia-related outcomes after parotidectomy

OBJECTIVE

There is a paucity of data on patient-reported outcome measures regarding xerostomia after parotidectomy surgery. Although salivary flow rates after parotidectomy have been previously studied, they do not correlate with subjective xerostomia. This study was designed to evaluate if unilateral parotidectomy increases patient-reported xerostomia.

METHODS

A prospective cohort of patients undergoing unilateral partial, superficial, or total parotidectomy for benign or low-grade malignant pathology without postoperative radiation at a tertiary care academic center was studied. We analyzed patient-reported outcome measures of xerostomia using the Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ) preoperatively and postoperatively. We compared pre- and postoperative cumulative and individual XQ scores using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. We stratified patients by the weight in grams (g) of the parotid tissue excised, pathology, smoking status, and xerostomia-related medication use.

RESULTS

Twenty-two adults with benign or low grade malignant unilateral parotid tumors were included. Postoperative questionnaires were completed at a median of 10.2 months (interquartile range [IQR] 8.6-11.9) after unilateral parotidectomy. Mean preoperative and postoperative cumulative XQ scores, on a 100-point scale, with higher scores representing worse symptoms, were 10.33 (95% CI: 4.46-16.20) and 10.54 (95% CI: 5.10-15.98), respectively, with a mean change of +0.21 (p = 0.472). There were no statistically significant changes in individual XQ symptom scores. Neither type of parotidectomy, resection specimens weighing over 10 g, smoking habits, xerostomia-related medication use, nor malignant pathology were associated with worse symptom scores.

CONCLUSION

Based on these data, unilateral parotidectomy does not appear to definitely, or at least consistently, increase xerostomia per patient reporting. More extensive parotid resections are not associated with worse symptom scores. These data can help guide preoperative counseling and postoperative expectations for parotidectomy.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

2b.

Mastication, swallowing, and salivary flow in patients with head and neck cancer: objective tests versus patient-reported outcomes

Purpose

Before and after treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC), many patients have problems with mastication, swallowing, and salivary flow. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between objective test outcomes of mastication, swallowing, and salivary flow versus patient-reported outcomes (PROs) measuring mastication-, swallowing-, and salivary flow–related quality of life.

Methods

Data of the prospective cohort “Netherlands Quality of Life and Biomedical Cohort Study” was used as collected before treatment, and 3 and 6 months after treatment. Spearman’s rho was used to test the association between objective test outcomes of the mixing ability test (MAT) for masticatory performance, the water-swallowing test (WST) for swallowing performance, and the salivary flow test versus PROs (subscales of the EORTC QLQ-H&N35, Swallow Quality of Life questionnaire (SWAL-QoL-NL) and Groningen Radiation-Induced Xerostomia (GRIX)).

Results

Data of 142 patients were used, and in total, 285 measurements were performed. No significant correlations were found between the MAT or WST and subscales of the EORTC QLQ-H&N35. Significant but weak correlations were found between the MAT or WST and 4 subscales of the SWAL-QoL-NL. Weak to moderate correlations were found between the salivary flow test and GRIX at 3 and 6 months after treatment, with the highest correlation between salivary flow and xerostomia during the day (Spearman’s rho =  − 0.441, p = 0.001).

Conclusion

The association between objective test outcomes and PROs is weak, indicating that these outcome measures provide different information about masticatory performance, swallowing, and salivary flow in patients with HNC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00520-021-06368-6.

Intensity-modulated proton therapy for oropharyngeal cancer reduces rates of late xerostomia

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To determine rates of xerostomia after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) or intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) for oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) and identify dosimetric factors associated with xerostomia risk.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with OPC who received IMRT (n = 429) or IMPT (n = 103) from January 2011 through June 2015 at a single institution were studied retrospectively. Every 3 months after treatment, each patient completed an eight-item self-reported xerostomia-specific questionnaire (XQ; summary XQ score, 0-100). An XQ score of 50 was selected as the demarcation value for moderate-severe (XQs ≥ 50) and no-mild (XQs < 50) xerostomia. The mean doses and percent volumes of organs at risk receiving various doses (V5-V70) were extracted from the initial treatment plans. The dosimetric variables and xerostomia risk were compared using an independent-sample t-test or chi-square test.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time was 36.2 months. The proportions of patients with moderate-severe xerostomia were similar in the two treatment groups up to 18 months after treatment. However, moderate-severe xerostomia was less common in the IMPT group than in the IMRT group at 18-24 months (6% vs. 20%; p = 0.025) and 24-36 months (6% vs. 20%; p = 0.01). During the late xerostomia period (24-36 months), high dose/volume exposures (V25-V70) in the oral cavity were associated with high proportions of patients with moderate-severe xerostomia (all p < 0.05), but dosimetric variables regarding the salivary glands were not associated with late xerostomia.

CONCLUSION

IMPT was associated with less late xerostomia than was IMRT in OPC patients. Oral cavity dosimetric variables were related to the occurrence of late xerostomia.

Symptom clusters in head and neck cancer patients with endotracheal tube: Which symptom clusters are independently associated with health-related quality of life?

PURPOSE

The point of view of symptom clusters (SCs) may develop an efficient symptom management strategy to enhance health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in head and neck (HNC) patients with endotracheal tube (ETT). The study aims to investigate the possible SCs in HNC patients with ETT and determine whether there was an independent relationship between one or more SCs and HRQoL.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study design was adopted, and 203 HNC patients with ETT were recruited. They took measurements of General Information Questionnaire, MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head & Neck, and Twelve-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). Spearman correlations, partial correlations, and hierarchical cluster analysis were performed to determine latent number of SCs, and covariance analyses were used to determine independent associations between SCs and SF-12. This study followed STROBE Statement.

RESULTS

Pain SCs (pain, distressed, short of breath, and sadness), fatigue SCs (fatigue/weakness, restless, and sleepy), digestive SCs (appetite loss, constipation, and nausea), HNC-specific SCs (dry mouth and mucus), and tracheostomy-related SCs (difficulty swallowing and difficulty with voice and speech) were found. After adjusting covariant variables, this study found independent relationships of pain SCs and fatigue SCs with physical component summary of SF-12, and between fatigue SCs and mental component summary of SF-12.

CONCLUSIONS

Multiple SCs were found in those HNC patients. Pain SCs and fatigue SCs were independently associated with HRQoL. In process of caring HNC patients with ETT, it is vital to focus on SCs, especially on pain SCs and fatigue SCs, which might effectively improve patients' HRQoL.

Evaluating the measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures in radiotherapy-induced xerostomia

OBJECTIVE

Radiotherapy-induced xerostomia (RIX) is one of the most common adverse effects of radiotherapy to the head and neck, and a major determinant of survivors' quality of life. A number of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have been used in clinical trials of therapeutic interventions for RIX; however, little is known regarding their measurement properties and methodological quality.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature search in Embase, MEDLINE and PsycINFO for articles published up to May 2019 and evaluating at least one measurement property of PROMs relevant to RIX. The COSMIN guidelines were used to assess relevant measurement properties and methodological quality.

RESULTS

Nine validations studies were identified reporting on four PROMs relevant to RIX. The Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ) showed overall high-quality evidence for structural validity and internal consistency, but low-quality evidence supporting reliability. The methodological quality of the Groningen Radiotherapy-Induced Xerostomia scale (GRIX), Xerostomia Inventory (XI) and the Xerostomia Quality of Life Scale (XeQoLS) was relatively low for all measurement properties.

CONCLUSIONS

The XQ was found to have the highest potential to capture changes in RIX according to COSMIN guidelines. Additional validation studies are required to further understand the methodological quality of the XI, GRIX and XeQoLS.

Assessing patient-reported symptom burden of long-term head and neck cancer survivors at annual surveillance in survivorship clinic

BACKGROUND

This study reports long-term head and neck cancer (HNC) patient-reported symptoms using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Head and Neck Cancer Module (MDASI-HN) in a large cohort of HNC survivors.

METHODS

MDASI-HN results were prospectively collected from an institutional survivorship database. Associations with clinicopathologic data were analyzed using χ² , Mann-Whitney, and univariate regression.

RESULTS

Nine hundred and twenty-eight patients were included. Forty-six percent had oropharyngeal primary tumors. Eighty-two percent had squamous cell carcinoma. Fifty-six percent of patients had ablative surgery and 81% had radiation therapy as a component of treatment. The most severe symptoms were xerostomia and dysphagia. Symptom scores were worst for hypopharynx and varied by subsite. Patients treated with chemoradiation or surgery followed by radiation ± chemotherapy reported the worst symptoms while patient treated with surgery plus radiation ± chemotherapy reported the worst interference.

CONCLUSION

HNC survivors describe their long-term symptom burden and inform efforts to improve care many years into survivorship.

Xerostomia-related quality of life for patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma treated with proton therapy

PURPOSE

We report longitudinal patient-reported quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes related to xerostomia in patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated with intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients treated from May 2012 through December 2016 at a single institution for AJCC7 stage III-IV, M0 oropharyngeal cancer were given the 15-item Xerostomia-Related QoL Scale (XeQoLS) before, during, and for up to 2 years after treatment. We evaluated the evolution of xerostomia-related QoL over that time, and examined potential associations between those measures with clinical characteristics.

RESULTS

Sixty-nine patients had XeQoLS scores at baseline and at least once either during or after treatment. The mean (±SD) XeQoLS score (0-4) was 0.24 ± 0.57 at baseline. Subsequent scores were 2.00 ± 1.01 at 6 weeks on treatment, and 1.03 ± 0.76, 0.97 ± 0.78, 0.82 ± 0.69, and 0.70 ± 0.75 at 10 weeks, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after treatment, respectively. All were statistically different from baseline (p < 0.001). Univariate analyses demonstrated associations between XeQoLS score and time (p < 0.0001 for each interval), baseline XeQoLS score (p < 0.0001), stage (p = 0.008), N status (p = 0.006), and mean oral cavity dose (p = 0.038), but not for age, sex, T status, receipt of chemotherapy, smoking history, disease site, laterality of neck irradiation, mean parotid dose, or mean submandibular dose. Multivariate analysis suggested that baseline XeQoLS scores, phase of treatment, and N status were associated with XeQoLS scores measured during treatment and recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients receiving IMPT reported the greatest xerostomia-related QoL impairment at 6 weeks on treatment, with a 49% improvement by 10 weeks after treatment; however, XeQoLS scores remained above baseline after 2 years. As we aim to establish the value of IMPT in oropharyngeal tumors to de-intensify treatment over conventional therapy, these data help inform discussions about xerostomia-related quality of life for patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated with IMPT.

Priorities of human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer patients at diagnosis and after treatment

INTRODUCTION

Little is known regarding how human papillomavirus-positive oropharyngeal cancer (HPV-OPC) patient goals change with treatment. This study evaluates whether patient ranking of non-oncologic priorities relative to cure and survival shift after treatment as compared to priorities at diagnosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a prospective study of HPV-OPC patient survey responses at diagnosis and after treatment. The relative importance of 12 treatment-related priorities was ranked on an ordinal scale (1 as highest). Median rank (MR) was compared using Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank tests. Prevalence of high concern for 11 treatment-related issues was compared using paired t-test. The effect of patient characteristics on change in priority rank and concern was evaluated using linear regression.

RESULTS

Among 37 patients, patient priorities were generally unchanged after treatment compared with at diagnosis, with cure and survival persistently ranked top priority. Having a moist mouth uniquely rose in importance after treatment. Patient characteristics largely did not affect change in priority rank. Concerns decreased after treatment, except concern regarding recurrence.

DISCUSSION

Treatment-related priorities are largely similar at diagnosis and after treatment regardless of patient characteristics. The treatment experience does not result in a shift of priorities from cure and survival to non-oncologic domains over cure and survival. The rise in importance of moist mouth implies that xerostomia may have been underappreciated as a sequelae of treatment. A decrease in most treatment-related concerns is encouraging, whereas the persistence of specific areas of concern may inform patient counseling.

Single-item discrimination of quality-of-life-altering dysphagia among 714 long-term oropharyngeal cancer survivors: Comparison of patient-reported outcome measures of swallowing

BACKGROUND

Two patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of swallowing and their correlation to quality of life (QOL) were compared in long-term survivors of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC).

METHODS

Scores on the single dysphagia item from the 28-item, multisymptom MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head and Neck (MDASI-HN-S) were compared with scores on the dysphagia-specific composite MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) and the EuroQol visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) in 714 patients who had received definitive radiotherapy ≥12 months before the survey. An MDASI-HN-S score ≥6 and an MDADI composite score <60 were considered representative of moderate/severe swallowing dysfunction.

RESULTS

Moderate/severe dysphagia was reported by 17% and 16% of respondents on the MDASI-HN-S and the composite MDADI, respectively. Both swallow PROs were predictive of QOL, and the MDASI-HN-S model was slightly more parsimonious for the discrimination of EQ-VAS scores compared with MDADI scores (Bayesian information criteria, 6062 vs 6076, respectively). An MDASI-HN-S cutoff score of ≥6 correlated best with a declining EQ-VAS score (P < .0001) and was associated with increased radiotherapy dose to several normal swallowing structures.

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort, the single-item MDASI-HN-S performed favorably for the discrimination of QOL compared with the multi-item MDADI. A time-efficient model for PRO measurement of swallowing is proposed in which the MDADI may be reserved for patients who score ≥6 on the MDASI-HN-S.

Physical symptoms in long-term survivors of rare cancer

PURPOSE

Advances in cancer detection and treatment have resulted in a growing population of long-term survivors, but even years after treatment has concluded, many survivors report physical symptoms that interfere with daily living. While there are studies of late effects following common cancers, less is known about these complications in rare cancers. This study focuses on the physical symptoms reported by long-term survivors enrolled in the NIH-sponsored Rare Cancer Genetics Registry.

METHODS

The Rotterdam Symptom Checklist-Modified was administered to evaluate the severity of physical symptoms commonly reported by long-term cancer survivors. Logistic regression was used to assess association between symptoms and demographic and clinical factors.

RESULTS

In 309 subjects with a median time of 7.6 years from a diagnosis of one or more rare cancers, the median number of symptoms present per participant was 7. The most prevalent symptom reported was tiredness/lack of energy, which was present/very bothersome in 70%/25% of registrants. Women, non-whites, current smokers, and upper GI cancer survivors are particularly affected. Overall, symptom prevalence was similar across rare cancer types, time since diagnosis, and type of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Rare cancer survivors continue to experience troublesome symptoms many years after diagnosis, regardless of cancer type or treatment modality.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

There is a need for continued emphasis on smoking cessation in cancer survivors as well as enhanced monitoring of long-term complications in female, non-white, and upper GI cancer survivors.