"I would have told you about being forgetful, but I forgot": the experience of cognitive changes and communicative participation after head and neck cancer

"Why am I still suffering?": Experience of long-term fatigue and neurocognitive changes in oropharyngeal cancer survivors following (chemo)radiotherapy

Background

Late effects of cancer treatment, such as neurocognitive deficits and fatigue, can be debilitating. Other than head and neck-specific functional deficits such as impairments in swallowing and speech, little is known about survivorship after oropharyngeal cancer. This study examines the lived experience of fatigue and neurocognitive deficits in survivors of oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer and impact on their daily lives.

Methods

This work is part of the multicentre mixed method ROC-oN study (Radiotherapy for Oropharyngeal Cancer and impact on Neurocognition), evaluating fatigue and neurocognitive function in patients following radiotherapy +/- chemotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer and impact on quality of life. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in adults treated with radiotherapy (+/-chemotherapy) for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma >/=24 months from completing treatment. Reflexive thematic analysis performed.

Results

21 interviews (11 men and 10 women; median age 58 years and median time post-treatment 5 years) were conducted and analysed, yielding six themes: (1) unexpected burden of fatigue, (2) noticing changes in neurocognitive function, (3) the new normal, (4) navigating changes, (5)insufficient awareness and (6)required support. Participants described fatigue that persisted beyond the acute post-treatment period and changes in neurocognitive abilities across several domains. Paid and unpaid work, emotions and mood were impacted. Participants described navigating the new normal by adopting self-management strategies and accepting external support. They reported lack of recognition of these late effects, being poorly informed and being unprepared. Follow-up services were thought to be inadequate.

Conclusions

Fatigue and neurocognitive impairment were frequently experienced by survivors of oropharyngeal cancer, at least two years after treatment. Patients felt ill-prepared for these late sequelae, highlighting opportunities for improvement of patient information and support services.

The health care experiences of people with head and neck cancer: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Understanding health care experience in head and neck cancer (HNC) is becoming increasingly important due to changes in the disease profile, survivorship, and a greater appreciation of patient health care experience as an important outcome measure. People with HNC encounter many different types of health care professionals and health care touchpoints.

METHOD

Through systematic database searching, this scoping review of qualitative English-language studies describes the self-reported care experiences of those with HNC across the health care continuum, and describes the current state of the literature.

RESULTS

Overall, the 95 studies identified were heterogeneous and investigated a broad range of topics. Trends across studies showed research centered on hospital-based care, conducted in developed countries, with more studies on feeding than other aspects of care. Generic qualitative research frameworks, with individual interviews, were the preferred method of data collection.

CONCLUSION

Despite identifying many studies, there are significant gaps in our understanding of the HNC patient experience.

European Head and Neck Society recommendations for head and neck cancer survivorship care

Survivors of head and neck cancer can experience long-term consequences of the cancer and subsequent treatments even after the cancer has resolved. Increasingly clinicians are aware of the social, psychological, financial, and emotional impacts of these cancers, in addition to the support required for the physical symptoms. This review provides recommendations on the long-term management and support required for survivors of head and neck cancer in the European healthcare setting.

Long-term cognitive, psychosocial, and neurovascular complications of unilateral head and neck irradiation in young to middle-aged adults

Background

With a growing, younger population of head and neck cancer survivors, attention to long-term side-effects of prior, often radiotherapeutic, treatment is warranted. Therefore, we studied the long-term cognitive effects in young adult patients irradiated for head and neck neoplasms (HNN).

Methods

Young to middle-aged adults with HNN (aged 18-40 years) and treated with unilateral neck irradiation ≥ 5 years before inclusion underwent cardiovascular risk and neuropsychological assessments and answered validated questionnaires regarding subjective cognitive complaints, fatigue, depression, quality of life, and cancer-specific distress. Additionally, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was performed to assess white matter hyperintensities (WMH), infarctions, and atrophy.

Results

Twenty-nine patients (aged 24–61, 13 men) median 9.2 [7.3–12.9] years post-treatment were included. HNN patients performed worse in episodic memory (Z-score = -1.16 [-1.58–0.34], p < 0.001) and reported more fatigue symptoms (Z-score = 1.75 [1.21–2.00], p < 0.001) compared to normative data. Furthermore, patients had a high level of fear of tumor recurrence (13 patients [44.8%]) and a heightened speech handicap index (13 patients [44.8%]). Only a small number of neurovascular lesions were found (3 infarctions in 2 patients and 0.11 [0.00–0.40] mL WMH), unrelated to the irradiated side. Cognitive impairment was not associated with WMH, brain atrophy, fatigue, or subjective speech problems.

Conclusions

HNN patients showed impairments in episodic memory and an increased level of fatigue ≥ 5 years after radiotherapy compared to normative data. Cognitive impairments could not be explained by WMH or brain atrophy on brain MRI or psychological factors.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04257968).

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09295-9.