445P - Self-reported symptom burden, quality of life and unmet need of symptom management in nasopharyngeal cancer survivors: A cross-sectional survey

Background

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is notably prevalent in Southeast Asia, including Hong Kong. The survival rate of NPC patients has improved over the past decade. However, the emergence of various late radiation side effects during survivorship remains a concern. While the clinician-reported incidence of symptoms has been reported, a comprehensive assessment of self-reported symptoms is still lacking. This study aims to examine the subjective symptom burden, quality of life, and unmet needs among local NPC survivors.

Methods

A single-centre cross-sectional survey was conducted at a local public hospital, including 200 NPC survivors who had completed radiation therapy (RT) with or without chemotherapy for three to 120 months. We employed the Chinese version of three questionnaires: M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory - Head & Neck Module (MDASI-HN), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Head & Neck (FACT-HN), and Cancer Survivors’ Unmet Needs Measure (CaSUN).

Results

Survivors experienced, on average, more than four moderate to severe symptoms (Mean [M] ± SD = 4.84±4.99), with no association found with post-RT time (p = 0.443). The top five severe symptoms were dry mouth (M±SD = 5.47±2.90), mucus problem (M±SD = 4.27±3.17), dysphagia (M±SD = 3.38±3.03), teeth/gum problems (M±SD = 2.98±3.17), and poor memory (M±SD = 2.94±2.63). The mean scores of the top five symptoms were used to represent the symptom burden, which was negatively associated with the physical (F(1,198) = 139.783, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.414), emotional (F(2,197) = 38.303, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.280), additional concerns (F(1,198) = 85.993, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.303) subscales, and the total scores (F(2,197) = 33.083, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.251) of the FACT-HN. The unmet need for symptom management by CaSUN was positively associated with symptom burden (OR = 1.379, 95% CI [1.185, 1.604], p < 0.001), while negatively associated with post-RT time (OR = 0.981, 95% CI [0.972, 0.991], p < 0.001).

Conclusions

NPC survivors suffer from symptoms irrespective of the time elapsed post-RT. The observed varying unmet need for symptom management necessitates further exploration into supportive care for cancer survivors.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The authors.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.