Depression, fatigue, and health-related quality of life in head and neck cancer patients: a prospective pilot study

Purpose

To assess the prevalence of depression and fatigue symptoms in head and neck cancer patients during radiotherapy treatment and relate them symptoms with these patients’ quality of life.

Method

This is a prospective study. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Piper Fatigue Scale-revised and Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy Head and Neck (FACT-H&N) were applied to 41 head and neck cancer patients at three times: at the start of treatment (T1), approximately 15?days after the start of treatment (T2) and at the end of treatment (T3), approximately 30?days after the start of the radiotherapy.

Results

The mean BDI and PIPER increased during the radiotherapy treatment. BDI scores did not demonstrate the presence of depression, although the number of symptoms increased, and the presence of fatigue rose as treatment advanced. The mean FACT H&N decreased in the middle and at the end of treatment, indicating worsening in these patients’ Quality of Life.

Conclusions

Depression and fatigue symptoms increased during radiotherapy treatment, while QoL levels decreased. This demonstrates that these symptoms are strongly correlated and that their presence negatively influenced QoL. At the start of treatment, nurses need to advise patients and plan care, offering interventions to decrease these symptoms and improve QoL.