Survival Patterns in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: Pain as an Independent Prognostic Factor for Survival

Pretreatment pain was an independent predictor of survival in a large sample of HNSCC patients even after accounting for tumor node metastasis stage, fatigue, age, race/ethnicity, smoking, and alcohol intake. Therefore, symptoms at presentation and before cancer treatment are important factors to be considered in understanding survival outcomes in HNSCC patients.