What question did this study set out to answer?

To investigate the relationship between quality of life and psychosocial factors in patients post-neck dissection.

February 9, 2026Journal of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery0 citationsOpen Access

Poor Quality of life After Neck Dissection is Associated with Depressive Symptoms Instead of Cancer or Operation-Related Factors

KMKrisztina MolnárOulu University Hospital SKSanni Käkilehto SLSanna LahtinenOulu University Hospital

Key Points

To investigate the relationship between quality of life and psychosocial factors in patients post-neck dissection.
Cohort of 116 eligible patients assessed 4.5 years post-operation.
QoL measured using RAND-36, EORTC QLQ-C30, EORTC-QLQ-H&N35, BDI, and PASS20.
Quality of life classified as poor if any RAND-36 dimension scored below 2 standard deviations from reference values.
23 respondents reported poor quality of life as per RAND-36 scores.
Higher depressive symptoms (BDI scores) observed in respondents with poor QoL (17.0 vs 5.5, P < 0.001).
Higher pain anxiety symptoms (PASS20 scores) also correlated with poorer QoL (29.5 vs 15.2, P = 0.004).

Abstract

Abstract Background Neck dissection (ND) is a common surgical procedure in the treatment of the head and neck cancer (HNC). The present study focused on patients’ psychosocial well-being and quality of life (QoL) after ND. Methods A cohort of 63 (54.3%) of the 116 eligible patients answered the QoL questionnaires at average 4.5 years from the operation. RAND 36-item Health Survey (RAND-36), EORTC QLQ-C30, EORTC-QLQ-H&N35, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Short version of Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS20) were used in assessment. QoL was considered poor if at least one RAND-36 dimension was scored below 2SDs from age-adjusted reference values. Results A total of 23 respondents had poor QoL according to RAND-36 scores. Age, chronic comorbidities, postoperative complications or other adverse events during the postoperative phase had no effect on QoL. Respondents with poor QoL had significantly higher scores on BDI (17.0 (8.8) vs 5.5 (12.5), P < 0.001) and PASS20 assessments (29.5 (19.3) vs 15.2 (16.2), P = 0.004). Conclusion Poor QoL after ND was related primarily to psychosocial factors and mental well-being. Chronic comorbidities or operation-related factors did not have impact on the QoL.

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