Radiotherapy (RT) in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) causes side effects, which have a negative impact on the quality of life (QoL). The well-known side effects of RT are taste alterations, eating problems (chewing and swallowing), xerostomia, dysphagia, trismus, hoarse voice, bone necrosis, fibrosis of soft tissue, and hearing and speech impairment [1–7]. However, QoL describes the changes that the disease causes in the patient's life along with the side effects of the treatment in a much broader way than standard classifications of side effects of treatment. Another vital characteristic of QoL is the fact that by definition it is a subjective evaluation and can be assessed from the patient's perspective only. The QoL changes can be considerably dependent on the treatment type and the patient's adaptation to certain situations [8–13]. The most validated QoL tool in oncology is the European Organization for Research of Life Questionnaire Core 30 Items (EORTC QLQ-C30) including the H&N-35 module [14–19].
The effectiveness of cancer treatment is defined by the overall survival and/or the time of living free of the disease. More frequent use of the combined treatment and the possibility of alternative ways of treatment, especially in the case of head and neck cancer, have necessitated more attention to the patients’ feelings, their expectations, and the subjective perception of the treatment's effects. Thus, the choice of a method of treatment is a difficult and complex task for both a multidisciplinary team and patients themselves. The evaluation of QoL is helpful in this case since it supplies more information. This facilitates better understanding of the possible physical, psychological, social and functional impact of various treatment methods.
With regard to the above, the study compared the changes of the QoL in the course of RT in patients with head and neck cancer. Furthermore, the influence of selected clinical and socio-demographic factors on the QoL was assessed too.