Factors impacting posttraumatic growth in head-and-neck cancer patients with oncologic emergencies

To identify factors associated with posttraumatic growth (PTG) of head-and-neck cancer squamous cancer (HNC) patients with oncologic emergencies (OE) within the first six months post-treatment.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of HNC patients in Taiwan from May 2019 to April 2021 using patient-reported outcomes. Patients were assessed for symptom distress, anxiety, fear of recurrence (FCR), and PTG. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with PTG. The independent-samples t-test was used to compare PTG and its five specific domains in patients with low FCR, high FCR, low anxiety, and high anxiety.

Of the 114 patients surveyed, 46.5% reported little-to-no PTG, and 53.5% had moderate-to-high PTG. Greater PTG was associated with greater FCR, longer time since OE, less anxiety, having a cancer recurrence, and greater educational attainment. These factors explained 38.6% of the variance in PTG.

A notable proportion of HNC patients with OE-reported PTG but almost half-reported little-to-no PTG. PTG occurred most in the domain of appreciation of life. The study results also suggest that training patients in coping skills and inviting them to group growth experiences can help them increase PTG and cope with cancer-related psychological threats related to OE.