Distress Screening as a Predictor for Perioperative Outcomes in Head and
Neck Cancer Patients
Abstract
Objectives: An estimated 20-60% of head and neck cancer patients have
reported distress during the evaluation and management of their disease.
This study aims to assess for a relationship between distress scores and
several perioperative metrics. Design: Retrospective cohort study
Setting: Single tertiary care center Main Outcome Measures: 34 head and
neck cancer patients during the designated time period were evaluated
for their distress screening results. Primary outcomes evaluated are
distress scores, stratified by age and subsite, as well as, staging.
Power analysis and logistic regression were performed. Results:
Significantly lower distress scores were associated with a skin primary
site (OR = 0.06, 0.003-0.41 95% CI, p = 0.01<0.05), and there
was a trend toward lower distress score with Medicare insurance
(OR=0.11, 0.01-0.76 95% CI, p=0.06>0.05) indicating
potential protective factors against distress scores >3.
Conclusions: Identifying specific protective factors may objectively
help identify new head and neck cancer patients who are at higher risk
for greater levels of distress.