The investigators will conduct a prospective cohort study of enrolled patients seen in initial consultation by our H&N cancer surgeons and/or Radiation Oncologists either at AMC or HRH. Data collected from patients in the form of quality of life and sleep questionnaires and home sleep study (Alice Night One System by Phillips Respironics), as well as data from the electronic medical record will be coded into RedCap.~Blood collection for inflammatory biomarkers will occur during routine laboratory workup to avoid unnecessary phlebotomy whenever possible. Blood laboratory specimens of the inflammatory markers will be centrifuged to plasma and stored at -80C in freezers located on the Anschutz campus in Research Complex 2 on the 7th floor. Patients who require tracheostomy will be included in this study but will not have any sleep study time-point as indicated. Patients who are identified to have OSA will undergo counseling and treatment as per standard of care. CPAP compliance data will be collected every three months after initiation of OSA treatment.~Patient details including demographics, treatment information such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, sleep and quality of life questionnaire data, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and sleep study results will collected. The RedCap database will be maintained by the PI, or their delegate of the present study, and all persons utilizing the RedCap database for purposes of entering data will be included on the Delegation of Authority.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly recognized in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). The prevalence prior and after cancer therapy is not well understood. OSA is identified as a contributing factor for daytime somnolence and quality of life (QOL), yet treatment of OSA in the SCCHN population has not been studied. The investigators hope to identify the disease course of sleep apnea, risk factors for development, and impact on QOL with treatment of OSA in a population of patients with SCCHN.