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Earlier survivorship care linked to lower risk of head and neck cancer recurrence and death

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Earlier survivorship care linked to lower risk of head and neck cancer recurrence and death

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Beginning survivorship care for head and neck cancer patients earlier is linked to better survival and lower recurrence, according to a new University of Pittsburgh study published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.

The study found that patients who participated in a multidisciplinary survivorship clinic before or early in radiotherapy had better outcomes than patients who participated after treatment. The study is among the first to show that timing of survivorship care is associated with patient outcomes, and unlike many factors in cancer care, it can be modified relatively easily.

"I think a lot of times survivorship care is seen as just something that is nice to have but is not essential," said senior author Marci Lee Nilsen, Ph.D., RN, professor of otolaryngology at Pitt's School of Medicine and director of the UPMC Head & Neck Cancer Survivorship Clinic.

"This study shows that if we just shift survivorship care a bit earlier, patients have better outcomes, better adherence to treatment. And even when you control for treatment adherence, you see an association between earlier care and survival."

Survivorship care provides long-term, multidisciplinary support for cancer patients and survivors, focusing on mental and physical health, managing symptoms and monitoring for cancer recurrence. Ideally, the care begins at diagnosis and extends through the end of the patient's life. In practice, it is more commonly emphasized after treatment ends.


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