Persistent Post-radiotherapy Pain and Locoregional Recurrence in Head and Neck Cancer-Is There a Hidden Link?
Korean J Pain
; 28(2): 116-21, 2015 Apr.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25852833
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
To explore the relationship between persistent post-radiotherapy pain and locoregional recurrence in head and neck cancer patients.METHODS:
Five year retrospective data was reviewed of 86 patients of head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy who continued to have pain at 6 weeks after completion of treatment. At follow-up after 3 months, these patients were stratified into Group A (n = 39) constituted of patients whose pain subsided and Group B (n = 47) were patients who continued to have persistent pain.RESULTS:
At median follow-up time of 25 months (range 8-47), one patient (2.6%) and 18 (38.3%) patients in group A and group B had locoregional recurrence respectively (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, group B patients had higher mean pain score levels as compared to group A (P = 0.03). Patients in whom pain subsided within 3 months had statistically much greater disease-free survival in comparison to those with persistent pain (P < 0.0001).CONCLUSIONS:
Pain in head and neck cancer is an important symptom and should be considered a poor prognostic factor. In the current study, the majority of the patients with persistent pain had recurrent disease as compared to those in whom pain subsided within 3 months of post-treatment. It is suggested that patients with persistent pain need more intense follow-up and should be investigated thoroughly to detect recurrence at an early stage to provide a better quality of life.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Korean J Pain
Ano de publicação:
2015
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Índia