“I have cancer during COVID; that’s a special category”: a qualitative study of head and neck cancer patient and provider experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed cancer care delivery strategies. Patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer (LA-HNC) may be particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as they often undergo treatments that require daily clinic visits (e.g., radiation therapy). The...

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Veröffentlicht in:Supportive care in cancer 2022-05, Vol.30 (5), p.4337-4344
Hauptverfasser: Kirtane, Kedar, Geiss, Carley, Arredondo, Brandy, Hoogland, Aasha I., Chung, Christine H., Muzaffar, Jameel, Patel, Krupal B., Gonzalez, Brian D., Jim, Heather S. L., Oswald, Laura B.
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed cancer care delivery strategies. Patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer (LA-HNC) may be particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as they often undergo treatments that require daily clinic visits (e.g., radiation therapy). The goal of this study was to characterize the lived experience of LA-HNC patients and their healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods LA-HNC patients who completed a full course of chemotherapy and radiation therapy during the COVID19 pandemic ( N  = 20) and LA-HNC healthcare providers ( N  = 13) participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for qualitative themes. Results The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on patients’ overall quality of life and health care. Results were organized in four main themes: (1) increased psychological distress; (2) exacerbated social isolation; (3) added stress in clinic for patients and providers; and (4) delays in health care. Conclusions Findings highlight myriad ways LA-HNC patients and providers have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Results can inform the development of supportive interventions to assist LA-HNC in managing COVID-19-related stress and unmet needs related to social isolation and in-clinic support.
ISSN:0941-4355
1433-7339
1433-7339
DOI:10.1007/s00520-021-06773-x