Patients' Reflections on Treatment Decision After Surgery for Laryngeal Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Patient-Reported Outcomes
• Surgical Decision-Making

Background:

• Understanding patient perspectives on laryngeal cancer surgery is crucial for clinicians.
• Identifying factors associated with surgical regret can improve patient care and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess variables linked to a positive attitude towards laryngeal cancer surgery.
• To explore factors influencing patient satisfaction and decision regret after laryngectomy.

Main Methods:

• A cohort study involving 780 patients undergoing laryngeal cancer surgery across 16 German hospitals.
• Data collected via interviews and questionnaires (Psychosocial Adjustment After Laryngectomy Questionnaire) up to 1 year post-surgery.
• Multivariate regression analysis examined associations between surgery type, adjuvant therapies, quality of life, speech, demographics, and decision-making processes.

Main Results:

• Most patients reported a positive attitude towards surgery, indicating low decision regret.
• Counseling from patient associations was associated with a more positive surgical attitude (adjusted B=8.8).
• Shared decision-making positively impacted attitudes, particularly in partial laryngectomy patients; lack of shared decision-making correlated with higher regret.

Conclusions:

• The majority of head and neck cancer patients exhibit positive surgical attitudes, suggesting minimal decision regret.
• Patient association counseling and shared decision-making are recommended to enhance surgical acceptance and reduce regret.
• Individualized patient support and involvement in decision-making are vital for improving post-laryngeal cancer surgery experiences.