Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea following head and neck cancer treatment: a cross-sectional study

The obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) is a sleep-related breathing disorder characterised by repetitive pharyngeal collapse. OSAHS is associated with a reduced quality of life. A high OSAHS prevalence has been reported in patients treated for head and neck cancer (HNC). The aim of the present study was to identify the prevalence of OSAHS within a Dutch population of patients treated for HNC. Consecutive HNC patients with a follow-up of 6 months to 5 years after treatment of an oral or oropharynx carcinoma were eligible for inclusion. Two questionnaires were used to assess the presence of OSAHS-related complaints. Subsequently, polysomnography was used in patients with OSAHS-related complaints to confirm the diagnosis of OSAHS. Four out of 33 included patients were diagnosed with OSAHS, yielding a prevalence of 12%. Since recognition and treatment of OSAHS might play an important role in improving quality of life of HNC patients, we suggest screening all patients with an oral or oropharynx carcinoma for the presence of OSAHS-related complaints prior to and following HNC treatment.