What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to identify symptom clusters of late toxicities and related factors in head and neck cancer survivors post-radiation therapy.

March 25, 2026Open Access

Symptom Clusters and Related Factors of Late Toxicities in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors After Radiation Therapy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Puntos clave

This research aims to identify symptom clusters of late toxicities and related factors in head and neck cancer survivors post-radiation therapy.
Conducted cross-sectional study with 83 head and neck cancer survivors who received radiation therapy at least one year prior.
Assessed nine late toxicities using a specific questionnaire and the PRO-CTCAE.
Evaluated quality of life and related factors using EORTC QLQ-C 30, HADS, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and LSAS.
Performed exploratory factor analyses and multiple regression analyses to analyze data.
All participants reported at least one late toxicity.
Dry mouth (90.4%) and difficulty swallowing (72.3%) were the most common symptoms.
Two symptom clusters were identified: oropharyngeal dysfunction and dry mouth.
Higher scores in both clusters were linked to lower global quality of life.
Chemoradiotherapy was associated with higher symptom cluster scores.

Resumen

Background/Objectives: Head and neck cancer survivors experience many late toxicities following radiation therapy. This study aims to identify symptom clusters of late toxicities and their related factors in head and neck cancer survivors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 83 survivors (pharyngeal or laryngeal cancer) who had received radiation therapy at least one year earlier. Nine late toxicities were assessed using the Japanese version of the Patient Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) and a custom questionnaire. Quality of life (QoL) and related factors were evaluated with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC QLQ-C 30), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). Exploratory factor analyses and multiple regression analyses were performed. Results: All participants reported at least one symptom. Dry mouth (90.4%) and difficulty swallowing (72.3%) were particularly prevalent. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified two symptom clusters (SCs): an oropharyngeal dysfunction cluster (pain, trismus, taste changes, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness) and a dry mouth cluster (dry mouth, sticky saliva). Regression analysis indicated that higher scores in both clusters were significantly associated with lower global QoL (oropharyngeal dysfunction SC: β = −0.427, p < 0.001; dry mouth SC: β = −0.268, p = 0.009). Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) was also significantly associated with higher cluster scores (oropharyngeal dysfunction SC: β = 0.233, p = 0.020; dry mouth SC: β = 0.343, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Late toxicities following radiation therapy include two clusters: oropharyngeal dysfunction cluster and dry mouth cluster. Head and neck cancer survivors with higher SC scores had lower global QoL scores and had undergone CRT. These findings may aid in the assessment and self-management support of head and neck cancer survivors after radiation therapy.

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Cite This Study

Genka et al. (Mon,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69c37be2b34aaaeb1a67ead1 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep16030103

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