Pre-intervention

Post-intervention

Three-year follow-up

HNC3 #

Norm #

Pain, n=86

Mean (CI)

No pain, n=14

Mean (CI)

p

Pain, n=72

Mean (CI)

No pain, n=28

Mean (CI)

p

Pain, n=46

Mean (CI)

No pain, n=44

Mean (CI)

P

n=133

Mean (SD)

n=562

Mean (SD)

Physical Function

70.8

(66-75)

88.6

(80-97)

0.0005

79.5

(75-84)

87.1

(82-92)

0.096

77.4

(71-83)

90.0

(85-95)

0.0003

85.6 (21.2)

88.9 (18.1)

Role Function

45.2

(38-52)

73.8

(54-93)

0.0035

57.9

(51-65)

75.0

(63-87)

0.0080

67.8

(58-78)

88.6

(81-96)

<.0001

83.3 (30.1)

86.5 (24.8)

Emotional Function

68.5

(63-74)

87.5

(79-95)

0.0035

74.8

(69-81)

90.5

(87-94)

0.0095

71.6

(65-78)

86.7

(81-92)

0.0004

85.0 (18.7)

84.6 (20.1)

Cognitive Function

73.6

(68-79)

90.5

(84-97)

0.0091

74.5

(68-81)

90.5

(85-96)

0.0052

73.6

(66-81)

89.4

(85-94)

0.0016

87.0 (16.5)

86.9 (18.1)

Social Function

54.7

(48-61)

84.5

(72-97)

0.0006

64.1

(57-71)

81.5

(73-90)

0.0072

68.8

(59-79)

91.3

(87-96)

0.0006

86.0 (22.2)

89.5 (20,6)

Global QL

54.1

(50-58)

68.5

(60-76)

0.0044

58.3

(53-63)

70.5

(65-76)

0.0098

54.3

(47-62)

80.1

(74-86)

<.0001

73.2 (21.3)

76.5 (22.0)

Fatigue

50.8

(46-56)

25.4

(12-38)

0.0006

39.0

(32-46)

25.4

(18-33)

0.055

39.9

(32-47)

15.9

(10-22)

<.0001

22.8 (22.9)

19.7 (21.4)

Nausea /Vom

15.9

(12-20)

4.8

(-6-15)

0.013

10.6

(5-16)

4.17

(0-8)

0.22

12.0

(6-17)

3.8

(-1-9)

0.0014

3.1 (9.0)

3.3 (11.0)

Pain

39.5

(34-45)

15.5

(5-26)

0.0018

31.0

(25-37)

7.1

(1-13)

<.0001

30.4

(23-37)

7.6

(4-11)

<.0001

14.9 (20.7)

17.7 (24.6)

Dyspnoea

38.4

(32-45)

28.6

(14-43)

0.29

27.8

(22-34)

16.7

(9-24)

0.051

29.7

(21-38)

15.9

(9-23)

0.016

17.8 (23.9)

16.5 (24.1)

Insomnia

31.0

(25-37)

11.9

(2-21)

0.019

24.9

(19-31)

15.5

(7-24)

0.095

34.8

(25-45)

17.4

(9-25)

0.0082

18.8 (26.4)

16.5 (24.9)

Appetite loss

51.4

(44-58)

26.2

(9-43)

0.0073

38.5

(30-47)

28.6

(18-39)

0.24

26.5

(17-36)

13.6

(5-22)

0.021

11.7 (25.1)

3.4 (12.7)

Constipation

26.7

(20-33)

14.3

(0-29)

0.14

16.2

(9-23)

13.1

(4-23)

0.87

13.0

(6-20)

12.1

(5-19)

0.86

10.8 (21.9)

5.0 (16.0)

Diarhoea

12.0

(7-16)

7.1

(-1-15)

0.50

16.0

(10-22)

7.1

(2-13)

0.19

13.0

(7-19)

9.8

(3-17)

0.24

3.8 (11.4)

5.1 (15.9)

Financial Problems

26.7

(20-33)

11.9

(0-24)

0.076

24.1

(16-32)

14.3

(5-24)

0.23

31.9

(21-43)

7.58

(1-14)

0.0001

11.6 (25.2)

6.6 (19.7)

# HNC3=3 years HNC patient survivors and Norm=a normative age-and sex-matched sample. Normative data (Norm#) from Hammerlid, Adnan, Silander. Population-based reference values for the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Head and Neck Module. Head Neck 2017;39(10):2036-2047.

Score range 0-100 points. High scores for a functional scale and the global quality of life scale represent high level of functioning or high level of global quality of life. High scores for a single item represent high level of symptoms. P-values for analysis of statistically significant difference in mean scores between the pain group and the no pain group, pre- and postintervention and at 3-year follow-up.

Abbreviations: CI, 95 % confidence interval. EORTC QLQ C30, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30. HNC, Head and neck cancer.