Background: Evidence that social support influences health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in oncologic patients could be particularly important for head and neck cancer because this disease can affect speech, eating, and facial aesthetics.
Methods: Multiple regression analyses were used in this prospective, observational study to determine the association between 394 patients' ratings of perceived post-treatment social support and HRQOL outcomes while controlling for possible confounding variables.
Results: Higher social support scores were significantly associated with higher scores in speech (p = .007), aesthetics (p = .015), social disruption (p = .045), and general mental health (p = .016) and with fewer depressive symptoms (p = .023) but not with general physical health (p = .191) or eating (p = .114). The magnitude of differences in the HRQOL outcomes for patients whose social support scores fell in the lowest and highest quartiles were clinically meaningful.
Conclusions: Given the association between social support and HRQOL outcomes in this patient population, modification of perceived social support through clinical interventions could improve the survivorship of these patients.