Assessing Functional Status and Social Support in the Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Purpose: The current study, which was a descriptive study to determine the functional status of and the social support perceived by head and neck cancer patients. Materials and Methods: The current study, which was conducted in the medical oncology and radiation oncology polyclinics of the Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital. The sample of the study consisted of 145 patients. The data in the study were collected utilizing the introductory characteristics questionnaire, Functional Living Scale (cancer), and the Cancer Patient Social Support Scale. Results: At the conclusion of the study, it was determined that mean functional living scale scores of head and neck cancer patients was low and the mean scores of the social support scale were high. It was determined that the social support perceived by patients and the functional living and of patients was influenced by gender, marital status, income status, status of receiving information, period of diagnosis, stage of disease, treatment, surgical treatment, time of the most recent surgical treatment, and the existence of other chronic diseases. Conclusions: The relationship between the sub dimensions of the functional living scale and the sub-dimensions of the social support scale were positively significant.