Aims: This study aimed to explore the experiences of distress from the perspective of people who were treated for head and neck cancer (HNC) 7-15 years prior.
Methods: A qualitative, interpretative descriptive design was utilized to interview people following HNC treatment to explore their experiences of distress. Participants were recruited from a quaternary hospital in Brisbane, Australia, and underwent semi-structured, qualitative one-off interviews. Interview data was recorded, and transcribed verbatim, prior to two of the research team coding and developing themes. Four researchers reviewed the coded interviews until consensus was reached.
Results: Twenty-one people (19 male, 2 females, age range 48-79) were recruited. Six initial themes emerged related to their experiences of distress: challenges of treatment; attitudinal coping to changes; looking back what would have helped; strategies used to cope; factors affecting adjustment; mortality; and financial toxicity. Sub analysis revealed the emergence of two distinct participant groups – those <10 years and those >10 years post treatment. Those >10 years reported a temporal weighting to their experience and were less likely to discuss mortality.
Future directions: The results of this study will be mapped to the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA) model of survivorship to identify the long-term service needs of the HNC population.