Preoperative level of depression is a predictor of postoperative levels of depression in patients with head and neck cancer.

Objective: Emotional distress is considered to be higher in patients with head and neck cancer than other types of cancer. The present study aimed to identify predictors of the postoperative levels of depression in patients with head and neck cancer who have undergone surgery. Methods: Postoperative levels of depression were assessed at 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. The preoperative factors that were significant predictors of the postoperative level of depression at each time point were extracted using multiple regression analyses. Results: The preoperative level of depression was a significant predictor of the postoperative level of depression at the 3rd, 6th and 12th postoperative months. At the sixth postoperative month, negative adjustment to cancer at baseline was also a significant predictor of the postoperative level of depression. Conclusion: Evaluating the level of depression and negative adjustment before surgery is considered to be effective for identifying patients who will develop depression after surgery.