Psychosocial factors and patient and healthcare delays in large (class T3–T4) oral, oropharyngeal, and laryngeal carcinomas

Markus Atula, Timo Atula, Katri Aro, Heikki Irjala, Elina Halme, Anna Jouppila-Mättö, Petri Koivunen, Tommy Wilkman, Antti Mäkitie, Marko Elovainio, Laura Pulkki-Råback

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

Background: Psychosocial factors and socioeconomic status have been associated with incidence, survival, and quality of life among patients with head and neck cancer. We investigated the association between different psychosocial factors, socioeconomic status, and patient delays in T3–T4 oral, oropharyngeal, and laryngeal cancer. Patients and methods: We conducted a nationwide prospective questionnaire-based study (n = 203) over a 3-year period. Results: We found no association between psychosocial factors (depression, social isolation, loneliness, and cynical hostility) and patient delay. Depression was three times more common among head and neck cancer patients compared with the general Finnish population. Head and neck cancer patients had lower educational levels and employment status, and were more often current smokers and heavy drinkers. Conclusions: Although we found no association between patient delay and psychosocial factors, patients diagnosed with a large head and neck cancer appeared to have a lower socioeconomic status and higher risk for developing depression, which should be considered in clinical practice.

Original languageEnglish
Article number760
JournalBMC Cancer
Volume24
Issue number1
Number of pages11
ISSN1471-2407
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2024
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

Fields of Science

  • Cancer awareness
  • Head and neck cancer
  • Healthcare delay
  • Patient delay
  • Psychosocial factors
  • Socioeconomic status
  • 3122 Cancers

Cite this