The Experiences of Patients With Advanced Head and Neck Cancer With a Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Background: While the percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube has become an established part of the management regimen for patients with head and neck cancer (HNCA) with impaired nutrition and functional status, limited research has explored the impact and experiences of living with a PEG tube from the patient's perspective. This qualitative study serves as a follow-up investigation undertaken to describe the experiences of patients with advanced HNCA living with a PEG tube. Materials and Methods: Eligible patients from convenience sampling were invited to participate until data saturation was reached. In-depth interviews were conducted with consenting participants. Qualitative descriptive design guided the content analysis of the interview transcripts. Results: Of the 49 patients invited, a total of 15 participants' interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Each interview was 15-90 minutes in length. Four of 22 content codes were chosen to describe the overarching ideas of the progressive experience of a patient's journey from the initial decision-making process around tube insertion through to its removal. Difficulty swallowing and weight loss emerged as primary factors for PEG tube insertion, and all participants became accustomed to living with the tube. Resuming a complete oral diet was a gradual transition. All participants recognized the value of the tube, and most acknowledged its necessity for their survival. Conclusions: Results describe the overall PEG tube experience as a dichotomy. While there were issues with the PEG tube, all participants found the tube to be beneficial. This study provides invaluable insight from a practice perspective.