Late toxicity-related symptoms and fraction dose affect decision regret in HNC patients
PO-1090
Abstract
Late toxicity-related symptoms and fraction dose affect decision regret in HNC patients
Authors: Muemtaz Koeksal1, Leonard Saur1, Cas Dejonckheere1, Frederick Far2, Sebastian Strieth3, Frank Anton Giordano1
1University Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology, Bonn, Germany; 2University Hospital, Department of Oral, Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, Bonn, Germany; 3University Hospital, Oral, Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, Bonn, Germany
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Purpose or Objective
Decision regret
reflects patient satisfaction with treatment choice and is greatly associated
with overall quality of life. This study aims to identify patient and therapy
characteristics and late toxicity-related symptoms of adjuvant radiotherapy resulting
in decision regret in patients with head and neck cancer.
Material and Methods
In this cross-sectional
study, patients completed a questionnaire during a telephone interview,
including the Decision Regret Scale (DRS) and several symptom-related items.
Results
108 patients were
included. After adjuvant radiotherapy, 40.5% reported no regret, 30.1% showed mild
regret, and 29.4% moderate to strong regret. Along with a lower single fraction
dose, the severity of multiple late toxicity-related symptoms correlated strongly
with decision regret. The strongest correlations were with limitations in
everyday life and pain. Patients experiencing emotional distress scored higher
on the DRS.
Conclusion
Based on these findings, it is recommended that patients undergoing
adjuvant radiation receive psychosocial support and adequate treatment of late
toxicity-related symptoms. When confronted with different therapeutic options,
radiotherapy with a higher single fraction dose (i.e., hypofractionation) is preferred,
due to the subsequent reduced regret as well as emotional distress experienced by
patients.