Assessment of preoperative psychologic distress in laryngeal cancer patients

Abstract

Background: Preoperative psychologic distress is common in head and neck cancer patients and related to deleterious effects in patient treatment and recovery. Routine screening and appropriate referral of all patients with cancer for psychiatric assessment is now a part of the medical treatment.

Objects: The aim was to assess the level of preoperative psychologic distress in laryngeal cancer patients scheduled for surgical treatment.

Methods: After the Institutional Review Board approval and informed written consent, 211 patients scheduled for total or partial laryngectomy were interviewed preoperatively. Each patient was asked to fulfil the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Demographic characteristics that may relate to psychologic distress were also recorded.

Results: The mean age (+/−SD) was 62.1 (8.2) years. The surgical type was total laryngectomy (n = 79) and partial laryngectomy (n = 132). Median (first/third quartile) HADS score was 6 (3/10). A total of 39.6% patients had psychologic distress. The HADS score was higher for total laryngectomy patients than partial laryngectomy patients [7 (4/10) versus 5 (3/10), p < .05]. Age was negatively correlated with HADS score (p = .049).

Conclusions: Our study showed that laryngeal cancer patients scheduled for total laryngectomy had higher level of psychologic distress. Age was a predictive factor for psychologic distress.

Chinese abstract

背景：术前心理压力在头颈癌患者中很常见, 它会对患者的治疗和康复产生负面影响。对所有癌症患者进行常规检查并适当转诊以进行精神病方面的评估, 现已成为治疗的一个步骤。

目的：检测将要接受手术治疗的喉癌患者的术前心理压力程度。

方法：经机构审查委员会批准并获得书面同意后, 对211例行将行全喉切除术或部分喉切除术的患者进行术前访谈。要求每位患者完成医院焦虑和抑郁量表。还记录了可​​能与心理压力有关的人口学特征。

结果：平均年龄（+/- SD）为62.1（8.2）年。手术类型为全喉切除术（n = 79）和部分喉切除术（n = 132）。中位数（第一/第三的四分位数之间）HADS评分为6（3/10）。共有39.6％的患者有心理压力。喉部全切除术患者的HADS评分高于部分喉切除术患者[7（4/10）相对于5（3/10）, p <.05]。年龄与HADS评分呈负相关（p = .049）。

结论：我们的研究表明, 将要接受全喉切除术的喉癌患者的心理压力程度较高。年龄是心理压力的预测因素。

Keywords:

• Laryngeal cancer
• preoperative psychologic distress
• Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.