Relation between mood, social support and the quality of life in patients with laryngectomies

Two hundred laryngectomized members of the Norwegian Society of Laryngectomies (NSL), a subsidiary of the Norwegian Cancer Society, were invited to answer the EORTC QLQ-C30 (version 3.0) and QLQ-H&N35 QOL questionnaires to assess their quality of life (QOL). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores, their levels of social support and their marital and educational statuses were also determined. In addition, the activity levels of each patient within the NSL were assessed, The questionnaires were returned anonymously by 104 patients. The results of this sample were compared with the responses to the EORTC QLQ C30/H&N35 by all of the survivors of treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in western Norway between 1992 and 1997. This sample included 96 of 106 eligible patients. The QLQ-C30 symptom scores include, e.g., dyspnea, smell and taste. However, neither the QLQ-C30 functional scores nor the disease-specific scores of the people with laryngectomies differed from the general HNSCC-treated population. The level of social support by family, friends and neighbors was not associated with the QOL, whereas high BDI scores were associated with reduced QOL by most measured indexes. Furthermore, a positive association was determined between the level of activity within the NSL and QOL. This relation was to some extent secondary to differential BDI scores. In conclusion, the QOL of people with laryngectomies is relatively similar to a general population of patients treated because of HNSCC, is related to the activity level within a patient interest organization and is associated with a lower mood level.