Quality of Life before and after Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer Patients Measured Using an Updated Head-Neck Specific EORTC QLQ-H&N43 at a Rural Tertiary Cancer Care Center

Background Quality of life (QOL) in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) patients from rural area is sparsely studied. Aim of this study was to evaluate the QOL before (pre-) and at first follow-up after radiotherapy (RT) (post-RT) in patients of HNSCC at a rural tertiary cancer care center (RTCCC). Materials and Methods This analytical study commenced after an institutional ethics committee approval included HSCCC patients registered at a RTCCC from June 2019 to January 2022. Marathi version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ), EORTC QLQ-C30 (v3.0), and an updated head-neck specific EORTC QLQ-H&N43 were served to the eligible patients pre- and post-RT. Clinicodemographic details were collected from prospectively maintained hospital records. Graph-Pad, Instat-3 (California Inc) was used for statistical analysis. Effect size and minimal important change were noted. Results A total of 100 patients completed both the pre- and post-RT (6-18 weeks post-RT) QLQ. Median age was 53 years (range: 30-78 years) and man to woman gender ratio was 4.56:1. Majority of the patients were farmer (46%), tobacco users (92%), and from middle socioeconomic class (57%). Oral cavity was the most common subsite involved (62%) and majority presented in locally advanced stage (82%) of disease. Global health status improved significantly after treatment with a large effect size (ES = -0.84). QOL was significantly improved after treatment except for parameters depicting treatment-related toxicities, that is, dryness of mouth and sticky saliva (ES = -1.75), problem with senses (ES = -1.31), and skin (ES = -1.38). Coronavirus disease pandemic and limitations of QLQ were few shortcomings of this study. Conclusion There is considerable improvement in QOL in HNSCC patients post-RT except for the treatment-related toxicity domains.