Clinical trial · Observational
Quality of Life Before and After Radiotherapy in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer
A Pilot Investigation of the Quality of Life Before and After Radiotherapy in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Worldwide, head and neck cancers (HNCs) are widespread (650,000 cases per year) and cause more than 330,000 deaths per year. Almost all cases, about 90%, are cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and larynx. In conventional clinical practice, HNCs are treated primarily with radiation therapy (RT), often used in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy. Like most anti-neoplastic therapies, RT carries significant adverse effects both acute and chronic. Both types of adverse effects have a significant impact on quality of life (QoL). The aim of the study is to examine the worsening of QoL in patients with HNC before and after cancer therapy and to assess the extent that each factor has in its worsening.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head and Neck Cancer | Malignant Head and Neck Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
| Quality of Life (QOL) | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curative radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancers | Radiation | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (1)
- label
- Patients with HNC and waiting to undergo curative radiotherapy
- interventionNames
- Radiation: Curative radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancers
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire version 4.1
- timeFrame
- 1 month
- description
- The UW-QOL v4.1 is a widely recognized questionnaire for reporting physical and socio-emotional dysfunction after HNC treatment and consists of short multifactorial questions specific to HNC and to assess the patient's perception of general QoL in the past 7 days. The questionnaire includes 12 questions to assess pain, appearance, activity, leisure, swallowing, chewing, speech, shoulder, taste, salivation, mood, and anxiety. There are two subdomains: physical and social-emotional. The physical function items are chewing, speech, swallowing, taste, saliva and appearance. Social function includes anxiety, mood, pain, activity, recreation, and shoulder function.
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 75 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * patients between the ages of 18 and 75 years; * patients who presented at their first dental visit with a diagnosis of HNC. Exclusion Criteria: * patients who had already undergone cancer therapies (excisional surgery or chemotherapy or radiation therapy) at the time of the first dental visit; * patients with depression or social anxiety; * patients with language difficulties.
References
Publications (1)
- DERIVEDLanzetti J, Ferrati F, Bartolomeo M, Crupi A, Gibello U, Mussano F, Pera F. A pilot study of quality of life domains before and after radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer. Cancer Treat Res Commun. 2026;47:101232. doi: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101232. Epub 2026 Apr 28. PMID 42066680