Nearly one-half of patients (48%) with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) experienced decisional conflict (DC), according to a prospective cohort single-center study published in JAMA Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery. Marinella PJ Offerman, Ph.D, and colleagues examined DC in patients after discussing treatment options, as well as associations between DC and QOL and DC and the degree of control patients felt. The researchers assessed two cohorts small laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SLSCC; N=102) and other HNSCC (N=161). In the SLSCC group, 51 patients experienced clinically significant DC,
compared with 74 patients in the other HNSCC group. In the SLSCC group, there were large differences in QOL, anxiety, and depression scores between patients with a total Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) score of less than 25 and a total DCS score of 25 or greater. Less than one-half (43.1%) of the SLSCC group felt their treatment choice was a shared decision. In the other HNSCC group, 38.5% felt that the physician decided, while 34.8% felt it was a shared decision.
