Prevalence of pain in a sample of long-term survivors of head and neck cancer

Purpose: The experience of long-term pain in head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors is important but has received less attention in the HNC literature. The present study sought to examine the prevalence of pain from 2 to 5 years postdiagnosis and its association with HNC-specific health-related quality of life.

Materials & methods: Prospective observational study at a single-institution tertiary care center. Pain was measured using a single item ranging from 0 to 10 with 0 representing no pain and 10 representing worst pain possible at 2 through 5 years postdiagnosis. HNC-specific HRQOL was measured using the Head and Neck Cancer Inventory (HNCI).

Results: Pain reports were consistent across time. At 2 years postdiagnosis (N = 581), 27.6 % experienced at least some pain with 14.3 % reporting moderate or severe pain. At 3 years postdiagnosis (N = 417), 21.4 % experienced at least some pain with 14.2 % indicating moderate or severe pain. At 4 years postdiagnosis (N = 334), 26.7 % experienced at least some pain with 15.9 % reporting moderate or severe pain. At 5 years postdiagnosis (N = 399), 30.5 % experienced at least some pain with 17.5 % indicating moderate or severe pain. In general, across all four HNCI domains, those in the moderate and severe pain categories largely failed to reach 70 which is indicative of high functioning on the HNCI.

Conclusions: Pain is a considerable issue in long-term HNC survivors up to 5 years postdiagnosis. More research is needed to understand correlates of pain after treatment, including opportunities for screening and intervention, to improve outcomes and optimize recovery in HNC.