62 - Relationship Between Surgery Information and Oral Health–Related Quality of Life for Patients with Oral Cancer

Abstract:

Objective: The main treatment method of oral cancer is tumor wide excision (Wex), which could be combined with flap repair or radical neck dissection (RND) when necessary. Surgical operations affect patients’ functions and their psychosocial conditions, subsequently reducing their quality of life. We aimed to explore the relationship between different surgery types, the time since previous surgery and number of operations for patients with oral cancer and their oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL).

Method: Between September 2020 and August 2022, data were collected from 79 participants in a medical center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The participants were divided into three groups by the types of surgery they received, namely the Wex+flap, Wex+RND, and Wex+flap+RND groups. A questionnaire survey and a retrospective medical history review were conducted to collect data related to their OHRQoL and medical history.

Result: The total OHRQoL scores (p = .007) and psychosocial scores (p < .000) of the three groups differed significantly. Compared to the Wex+flap+RND group, the Wex+flap group reduced their total OHRQoL score by 8.9 points (p=.048), and the Wex+flap group and the Wex+RND group reduced their psychosocial score by 4.8 (p=.006) and 2.3 point (p=.009), respectively. In addition, the time since the previous surgery increased by 1 year, the participants’ total OHRQoL score and psychosocial score decreased by 1.2 (p=.041) and 0.6 point (p=.008), respectively.

Conclusion: Patients with oral cancer who received surgery types diversely will reduce their OHRQoL and whose previous surgery was more distant exhibit superior OHRQoL.

Source of Funding:

Funding: This work was supported by the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan (ROC) (grant number 109-2314-B-037 -012 -MY2).