“Care Beyond the Care” — Head and Neck Cancer Patients Benefit from Mutual Support
“Head and neck cancer patients are uniquely different from other cancer patients. Head and neck cancer creates dysfunctions that they cannot hide. It affects how you breathe, speak or eat. Having any kind of cancer makes people very vulnerable and isolated, and head and neck cancers exacerbate that vulnerability,” says Yash Patil, MD, associate professor of otolaryngology, and director, adult airway reconstruction program, University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMedical Center).
Members of the Head and Neck Cancer Support Group enjoy the annual Christmas party.
The Cincinnati Head and Neck Cancer Support Group patient support group is a nurse-moderated group that has met monthly for the past seven years, rotating locations between the UC Health Physicians’ Office in Clifton and UC Health West Chester Hospital. Dr. Patil stresses that the program is open to all head and neck cancer patients in the region, regardless of where they received treatment. Attendance ranges from five to 25 patients, and discussion topics include diet, dental care, medications and alternative medications, intimacy and sexual dysfunction, prayer and meditation, chiropractors, etc. “It can be very helpful for new patients to pair with another person who has the same cancer,” Dr. Patil says. Some patients have attended for six or seven years, “some come only once, but many turn out for the annual Christmas party,” he says.
According to Dr. Patil, “the head and neck cancer support group is one of the biggest changes that we’ve made to the UC Medical Center cancer program. It allows patients to understand that others are enduring the same problems that they are. It’s one of the most humanizing experiences that I’ve ever had the opportunity to be part of – it’s been wonderful.”
Oropharyngeal cancer is increasingly seen in patients younger than 50,1 and is often caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).2 “A very significant portion of head and neck cancer in our patients is related in some way to HPV,” Dr. Patil says. He stressed the importance of the HPV vaccine, saying “We must support its use; if we don’t, we are actively encouraging the dissemination of oropharyngeal cancer.” Dr. Patil also points out that tobacco use and excessive alcohol intake are responsible for as much as 75% of head and neck cancers.3
The UC Cancer Institute’s oncology social work team—based at the UC Health Barrett Center treatment facility—offers counseling for patients and families with the goal of reducing their stress throughout all phases of cancer. For more information about the head and neck cancer support group, contact Angie Keith at 513-475-7366 or Angie.Keith@ucphysicians.com.
More information about the HPV virus and the vaccine can be found at the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/.4
References
1. Gayar OH, Ruterbusch JJ, Elshaikh M, et al. Oropharyngeal carcinoma in young adults: an alarming national trend. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2014;150:594-601.
2. Elrefaey S, Massaro MA, Chiocca S, et al. HPV in oropharyngeal cancer: the basics to know in clinical practice. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2014;34:299-309.
3. Head and neck cancers. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck/head-neck-fact-sheet. Accessed February 6, 2017.
4. Head and neck cancers. National Institutes of Health. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck/head-neck-fact-sheet. Accessed February 3, 2017.
Yash Patil, MD
Yash J. Patil, MD
Associate Professor of Otolaryngology
Director, Adult Airway Reconstruction Program
PHONE: (513) 584-2003
EMAIL: patilyj@ucmail.uc.edu