Psychosocial adjustment in patients surgically treated for laryngeal cancer.

Abstract Objective To assess the psychosocial adjustment in 62 patients surgically treated for cancer of the head and neck. Study design and setting Forty-one patients were grouped as having had radical surgery (total laryngectomy) and 21 as having had functional surgery (horizontal supraglottic laryngectomy or partial vertical surgery). The Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale-Self Report (PAIS-SR) was used for the evaluation. Results No significant differences were found between groups when global adjustment or domain adjustment was compared. Patients did not consider the permanent stoma and voice loss to be the most important determinant of quality of life. Work and family relationsh…