Objective:

The aim of this study was thus to assess the association between quality of life and psychological factors in patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 148 patients. A form was filled out with data on patient sociodemographic and clinical conditions from medical records. The University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire (UW-QOL) (version 4) was used to assess quality of life (QOL), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to evaluate psychological factors. To analyze the association of QOL in all domains, including the Physical Function and Socioemotional Function subscales of the UW-QOL, with anxiety and depression, the Students t-test for comparisons between independent sample means was performed.

Results:

In our sample, 45.2% of patients had oral cancer, and 74.3% presented with stage III and IV HNC. Regarding psychological factors, 32.4% of patients were anxious, and 31.1% of them had depression. We observed individuals with anxiety and depression had worse quality of life in almost all domains and in the quality of life subscales.

Conclusion:

Psychological factors, such as anxiety and depression, have a strong relationship with low quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer.

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