The association between health related quality of life and survival in patients with head and neck cancer: A systematic review

Nineteen studies were included, of which twelve focused on all subscales of a HRQoL questionnaire and seven focused on selected subscales. The mean (SD) quality score was 72 (17)% and 11 (58)% studies were of high quality. According to the best evidence synthesis, we found strong evidence for a positive association between pre-treatment physical functioning and survival and between change in global QoL from pre-treatment to 6 months after treatment and survival. Due to inconsistent findings, we found insufficient evidence for an association with survival of other HRQoL domains, including role, emotional, cognitive and social functioning, mental health and well-being. Future high quality studies with a longitudinal design are needed to examine the complex association between HRQoL and survival.