Symptom Scores May Signal Neuropathy Risk

Early recovery symptom patterns may help clinicians identify which oropharyngeal cancer survivors warrant closer neurologic surveillance.

1

Patient-reported symptom scores can identify oropharyngeal cancer survivors at higher risk for delayed hypoglossal nerve neuropathy.
2

The study analyzed 1,297 patients treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2015 to 2023 using the MDASI-HN-NERVE score.
3

Each 1-point increase in the MDASI-HN-NERVE score was associated with a 1.35-fold higher hazard of developing neuropathy.
4

Patients with baseline scores of at least 3.4 had lower neuropathy-free survival through 60 months compared to those with lower scores.
5

The findings support symptom-based surveillance as a potential tool for risk stratification in oropharyngeal cancer survivors.

1