Association of Insomnia and Obstructive Sleep Apnea with Worse Oral Mucositis and Quality of Life in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing radiation therapy (RT) often experience sleep disturbances that may contribute to oral mucositis (OM) and quality of life (QOL).

METHODS: Patients with HNC treated with RT at a single institution were examined. Sleep questionnaires were given on the first day of RT to assess for insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Patient-reported QOL and oral mucositis were assessed during RT. Associations between insomnia and OSA with QOL were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Linear mixed models assessed associations with OM.

RESULTS: Among 87 patients, 34 patients (39%) had subthreshold or greater insomnia and 47 patients (54%) screened positive for OSA. Upon RT completion, patients with subthreshold or greater insomnia had worse physical function ( p = 0.005), fatigue ( p = 0.01), insomnia ( p < 0.001), and sticky saliva ( p = 0.002). Patients screening positive for OSA had worse physical function ( p = 0.01), sticky saliva ( p = 0.02), fatigue ( p = 0.007), insomnia ( p = 0.009), and pain ( p = 0.005). Upon linear mixed model evaluation, subthreshold or greater insomnia ( p = 0.01) and positive OSA screen ( p = 0.002) were associated with worse OM.

CONCLUSION: Insomnia and OSA are highly prevalent in patients with HNC undergoing RT. These sleep disturbances are associated with worse QOL and OM during treatment.