Building a Renewed ImaGe After Head & Neck Cancer Treatment

Building a Renewed ImaGe After Head & Neck Cancer Treatment

This study will evaluate whether a time-limited cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention in the post-treatment time period can address body image disturbance (BID) in patients with surgically-treated head and neck cancer (HNC), thereby improving BID and quality of life (QOL).

The investigators will complete a single-arm, phase II pilot study of time-limited CBT on BID in patients with surgically-treated HNC. Reliable, validated patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures of BID will be collected before, 1 month and 3 months after the CBT intervention to provide preliminary data on the effectiveness of CBT for BID in patients with surgically-treated HNC, addressing this critical knowledge gap. It is expected that time-limited CBT implemented in the post-treatment period will decrease BID and improve QOL in affected patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pathologic diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract (oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx) or cutaneous malignancy of the head and neck (e.g. squamous cell, basal cell, melanoma, etc)
• Age > 18
• American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stages I-IV
• Curative intent therapy with surgery with or without adjuvant therapy
• Body Image Scale (BIS) score > 5 up to 1 year post-treatment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to speak English
• Known distant metastatic disease
• Inability or unwillingness of subject or legal guardian/representative to give informed consent