Psychological Distress and Kidney Failure as Predictors of Chemoradiotherapy Toxicity and Quality of Life in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer.

Abstract

Background: Quality of life (QoL) in oncology patients is shaped by the interplay of biological, psychological and treatment-related factors. While prior studies have addressed the independent effects of treatment toxicity and psychological distress, little is known about the interaction between depressive-anxious disorders, kidney failure and haematological toxicity on QoL among patients with head and neck cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy. Objective: This study aims to examine the combined effect of haematological toxicity, depressive-anxious disorders and chronic renal disease on the total QLQ-H&N43 score, a validated measure of QoL in patients with head and neck cancer. Methods: A total of 93 patients were included in an observational study. PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to test the three-way interaction between haematological toxicity (X), depressive-anxious disorders (W) and kidney failure (Z) on QoL (Y). Results: The three-way interaction was statistically significant (β = 31.04, p = 0.032), accounting for 18.9% of the variance in QLQ-H&N43 scores (R² = 0.1888). Patients presenting both depressive-anxious disorders and renal comorbidities reported higher QoL scores, indicating poorer quality of life in the presence of severe treatment toxicity. Conclusions: Psychological distress and kidney failure may synergistically exacerbate the negative effects of chemoradiotherapy toxicity on quality of life. These findings underscore the need for integrated care models addressing both psychological vulnerability and medical comorbidities in oncology.