Association of preoperative depression and clinical outcomes after head and neck free flap reconstruction
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Depression is common in patients with head and neck cancer, affecting up to 40%, yet it often goes unrecognized. This oral presentation includes 709 patients who underwent major reconstructive surgery. Only 7.5% had documented preoperative depression, and 5.6% were on antidepressant medications. While depression alone was not linked to worse survival, patients taking SSRI/SNRI antidepressants had longer hospital stays and showed a trend toward lower survival, though not statistically significant. These findings suggest a need for better depression screening and highlight the potential impact of mental health on recovery after cancer surgery.
Recommended citation: Sridhar S, Larson D, Suh H, Habib DRS, Vittetoe K, Sengstack D, Topf MC, Hicks MD. Association of preoperative depression and clinical outcomes after head and neck free flap reconstruction. Oral presentation at: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Annual Meeting; October 12, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA.