Anxiety, depression and quality of life following laryngectomy. A long-term prospective evaluation.

 

Mukoyama and colleagues from Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; assessed anxiety, depression and quality of life  in 150 patients with head and neck cancer undergoing laryngectomy.

The surgical procedures were total laryngectomy, pharyngo-laryngectomy and pharyngo-laryngo-oesophagectomy in 97 (65%), 41 (27%) and 12 (8%) patients, respectively. All quality of life items were significantly worse than those of the normal population at baseline and at 3 months after surgery. However, general health, vitality, mental health and bodily pain improved to normal levels within 1 year after surgery and were maintained for 5 years. In this study, 35% of patients were categorized as potential cases of depression, and 35% were potential cases of anxiety. During the follow-up period, the proportion of patients with anxiety gradually decreased after surgery.

The authors concluded that anxiety, depression and quality of life in laryngectomized patients improved at one year after surgery and were maintained throughout the 5 years of the study..