Xerostomia and Its Effect on Quality of Life in Head & Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Radiotherapy

• Main Authors: Shu-Chen Lin, 林淑貞
• Other Authors: Chia-Chin Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2005
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/92449101181447010759

碩士 === 臺北醫學大學 === 護理學研究所 === 93 === Abstract Title of Thesis: Xerostomia and Its Effect on Quality of Life in Head & Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Radiotherapy Institution: Graduate Institute of Nursing, Taipei Medical University Author: Shu-Chen Lin Thesis Directed by: Chia-Chin Lin, Ph. D., professor The purposes of the study were to explore the degree of xerostomia, related factors of xerostomia, and relationship anong quality of life, xerostomia levels, and saliva volume in head and neck cancer patients receiving radiotherapy in Taiwan. A longitudinal research design was used in this study. Fifty patients from the Department of Radiation Oncology of Tri-Service General Hospital of Taiwan were recruited. We measured the patients’ saliva volume via the Non - Stimulated Whole Saliva Flow (NSWSF) and asked them to fill in the Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ) and the SF-36-Taiwan Form before their treatment and at their 2nd week, 4th week, 6th week, and 8th week’s treatments. The collected data were used to estimate the patients’ saliva volume, xerostomia, and their quality of life during the treatment. Descriptive statistics, Generalized Estimating Equation (G. E. E.) and Pearson correlation were used to analyze the data in this study. The results showed that: (1) The head and neck cancer patients’ mean saliva volume reduced significantly during their treatment at the 2nd week ( p < .0001), 4th week (p = .0018), 6th week ( p = .0019) and 8th week (p = .0169) compared to the volume at the pre-treatment stage.(2) The patients’ mean XQ total score reduced significantly during their treatment at the 2nd week (p < .0001), 4th (p < .0001), 6th week (p < .0001) and 8th week (p < .0001) comparing to the score at their pre-treatment stage. Especially in " Rate your difficulty in swallowing solid food due to dryness ", " Rate your mouth or throat dryness when eating food " and " Rate the frequency of sipping liquids to aid swallowing food ", we found more obvious mouth dry problem. (3) The patients’ quality of life presented remarkable reduce during their treatment at the 2nd week (p = .0127), 4th (p = .0203), 6th week (p = .0046) and 8th week (p = .0013) compared to the pre-treatment stage, especially in the aspects of role- physical function, role-functioning restriction, the role — emotional function, role-functioning restriction and the vitality. (4) Patients receiving the chemotherapy, with high radiotherapy accumulated dose or taking longer treatment time showed notable reduction in their average saliva volume and had more serious mouth dry problem. In addition, patients receiving the radiotherapy in bil-salivary gland also revealed obvious mouth dry problem. (5) The saliva volume and the XQ total score presented significant negative correlation from the 2nd week to the 8th week.(6) The XQ total score and the life quality total score presented significant negative correlation at the stages of pre-treatment (r = - .48, p = .001), the 4th week (r = -. 41, p = .005) and the 6th week (r = - .38, p= .009). Discussion and conclusion: The most related factors affecting the saliva volume and the xerostomia are receipt of chemotherapy, the radiotherapy accumulated dose, and the treatment time. These related factors can be served as useful indication for medical caregivers to further predict patients'' xerostomia level and pay more attention to this problem. Keywords: head and neck cancer patient, xerostomia, related factor of xerostomia, quality of life