The Newsletter presents suggestions how laryngectomees can cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Laryngectomee Newsletter is presented by Itzhak Brook MD. Dr Brook is a physician and a laryngectomee. He is the author of "The Laryngectomee Guide for COVID-19 Pandemic", " The Laryngectomee Guide", " The Laryngectomee Guide Expanded Edition", and " My Voice, a Physician’s Personal Experience with Throat Cancer ".

Dr. Brook is also the creator of the blog " My Voice ". The blog contains information about head and neck cancer, and manuscripts and videos about Dr. Brook's experience as a patient with throat cancer.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Comparison of anxiety and depressive of head and neck cancer patients before and during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic

 


Jiani Liu and colleagues from  Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China,  studied the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the anxiety and depressive symptoms of cancer patients before and during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic.

A total of 526 head and neck cancer patients were included in the final analysis; 27% of cases experienced anxiety and depression before the pandemic and 50 % during the COVID-19 pandemic. (P=0.018).

The present study demonstrates the significant impact of COVID-19 on the psychological states of cancer patients. This findings indicating the need for appropriate changes in treatment decisions, enhanced psychotherapy, and interventions to reduce the incidence of anxiety, depression, and even suicide during the pandemic.