Advice Sheets

Health related quality of life (HRQOL) information can help give patients and their carers an indication of what they will be like post treatment. This knowledge can promote realistic expectations and help patients come to terms with their outcome.

The following "What Will I Be Like" information sheets give an approximation of the likely response in terms of HRQOL following treatment for head and neck cancer.

The information is derived from data collated from a commonly used head and neck cancer specific quality of life questionnaire (UOW-QOL). There are 12 domains comprising; activity, appearance, anxiety, chewing, mood, pain, recreation, saliva, shoulder, speech, swallowing and taste.

The data was collected over 19 years at the Head and Neck Unit in Liverpool and focuses at a time around two years following diagnosis as this gives a very reasonable indication of HRQOL in longer-term survivorship.

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