Background
Individuals living with and beyond head and neck cancer (HNC) often experience many consequences related to the cancer and its treatment which can persist long-term and have detrimental effects on overall quality of life. Despite the potentially profound impact of these consequences of cancer, the evidence around long-term outcomes among individuals living with and beyond HNC is varied. The objective of this study is to describe the evidence on long-term outcomes among individuals living with and beyond HNC.
Methods
This scoping review followed Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and was reported according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Structured language, keywords, and synonyms were used for each concept (patients diagnosed with HNC, outcomes, long-term) were used to search six databases. Eligible studies were those that reported outcomes beyond survival and recurrence at least 5-years after diagnosis of HNC. Two independent reviewers conducted screening (title and abstract then full-text screening), and data abstraction using a standardized form. The abstracted data from the evidence sources was synthesized using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data was categorized into themes.
Results
The search identified 6072 potential evidence sources, of which 2339 full-texts were screened and 166 met eligibility criteria and were included. Most commonly, evidence sources were studies conducted in the USA (35%) between 2020 and 2023 (30%) and were cohort studies (70%). The included evidence sources represent 82,008 patients who were mostly males (69%). The most frequently reported outcomes were treatment-related effects, followed by disease progression and control, psychosocial impact, and physical symptoms/functional status. Quality-of-life was also reported (33%) with heterogeneous measures and reporting.
Conclusions
This study found a large body of evidence exploring long-term outcomes among individuals living with and beyond HNC; however, there were gaps in evidence exploring the relationship between psychosocial outcomes and a rich understanding of the patient experience. Additionally, the considerable variability in methods, outcome measurement and reporting suggests a more standardized approach to long-term cancer outcomes research, and adherence to reporting checklists.
Liana Fillo, Hanna Ginther, Joseph C. Dort, Benny Rana, T. Wayne Matthews, Diane Lorenzetti & Khara M. Sauro
Disease Category: Cancer
Disease Name: Head and neck cancer
Age Range: 18 - 100
Sex: Either
Nature of Intervention: Any
- Systematic review of outcomes measured in trials
- Systematic review