Treatment Decisions in Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Background Decision‐making in recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer (HNC) is challenging, often involving high uncertainty and psychological distress. Objective To identify factors contributing to decisional conflict in patients with recurrent or metastatic HNC. Methods This cross‐sectional study used convenience sampling to recruit participants from the outpatient department of a cancer center in northern Taiwan between August 2021 and July 2024. The Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) and the University of Washington Quality of Life Scale (UW‐QOL) were used to assess decisional conflict, physical function, and social‐emotional function. Results A total of 140 patients were recruited. Among them, 78.6% experienced decisional conflict. The main areas of concern were lack of support, ineffective decision‐making, unclear values, insufficient information, and uncertainty. Patients with lower education, living alone, with lower family income, with private insurance, or with lower physical and social‐emotional functioning were more likely to experience decisional conflict. Conclusions Lower education, living alone, lower family income, private insurance, or lower physical or social‐emotional function contribute significantly to decisional conflict in patients with recurrent or metastatic HNC. Healthcare providers should incorporate targeted interventions addressing these factors into the shared decision‐making processes to reduce decisional conflict and enhance patient‐centered care.