Quality-of-life assessment after hyperfractionated radiation therapy and 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, and paclitaxel (taxol) in inoperable and/or unresectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Purpose: To determine quality of life (QOL) after hyperfractionated radiation and chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Head and Neck (FACT H-N) questionnaires were administered to protocol patients at baseline study entry, during and at the completion of therapy, and during subsequent follow-up. Results: Twenty-four patients completed baseline QOL questionnaires. Six subsequent assessments were given to patients who were available for follow-up. Social/family well-being and relationship with doctor subscores were not significantly different from baseline. Emotional well-being was not different from baseline initially, but actually showed a significant increase 6 months after completion of radiation, seen on assessments 5 and 6 (P < 0.01). Physical and functional well-being subscores, total FACT-G score, head and neck subscores, and total FACT H-N score all showed initial decreases during, at the completion of radiation, or, in some subscores, up to 3 months postradiation. However, all these scores recovered to baseline levels. These scores subsequently showed a significant increase after 6 months to 1 year in all but the physical well-being and head and neck subscores, which remained at baseline. Conclusion: QOL scores returned to baseline levels or increased at 6 to 12 months postradiation in long-term survivors who completed QOL questionnaires.